Skip to main content

New partnership puts Milton Keynes at heart of the smart cities revolution

Indian IT company Tech Mahindra has joined forces with The Open University (OU) and Milton Keynes Council in leading the charge in the United Kingdom's smart cities revolution, in an agreement which will see the parties work closely together in researching key areas behind smart cities. Smart cities harness the power of big data to improve the running of key services such as energy and transport, making them more reliable and efficient. The new partnership will focus its efforts on: Energy; Transportatio
November 17, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
Indian IT company Tech Mahindra has joined forces with The Open University (OU) and Milton Keynes Council in leading the charge in the United Kingdom's smart cities revolution, in an agreement which will see the parties work closely together in researching key areas behind smart cities.

Smart cities harness the power of big data to improve the running of key services such as energy and transport, making them more reliable and efficient. The new partnership will focus its efforts on: Energy; Transportation; Electric vehicles; Connected networks; and Internet of Things.

Milton Keynes is already a pioneer in the smart cities field, having been invited to join a government-led forum along with just four other cities around the UK. As a leading institution with a strong track-record of harnessing the latest technology to benefit its students and business, the OU was chosen by Tech Mahindra as a commercial ally, working together on bids for digital projects such as Internet of Things and driverless cars.

Commenting on the partnership, CP Gurnani, managing director and CEO o fTech Mahindra said: "Our unique combination of capabilities in both the Communications and Enterprise domains positions us well in the Digital marketplace. We are excited to be part of this ambitious vision and eager to transform Milton Keynes to a smart city." He added, "This partnership brings skills from both academia and the commercial world which will deliver great benefits in furthering research in our increasingly digitised and connected world."

"The Open University has been leading the way in terms of exploiting the latest technology since we were established over four decades ago,” said Pro vice-chancellor for Research at the Open University, Professor Tim Blackman. “The whole area of smart cities is incredibly exciting, so joining forces with an organisation with the capability of Tech Mahindra is a great boost in terms of developing innovative solutions. This will make a real difference to the way people interact with their surroundings - from how we consume energy to the way we get about."

Councillor Pete Marland of Milton Keynes Council said: "By harnessing the latest technology and drawing on data available to us, smart cities have enormous potential to revolutionise the way we live our lives. But more than this, the Smart City industry is predicted to be worth some US$400 billion by 2020, with the UK aiming to corner 10 per cent of this market. This partnership is great news for the UK, but as one of the country's smart city pioneers, Milton Keynes stands to be one of the big winners in this exciting and expanding sector."

Related Content

  • Smart shopping and the payment revolution at CARTES 2013
    October 29, 2013
    Changes to the retail world over the next ten years could be even more important than those during the internet revolution of the 2000s – so how will payments and cards fare in this new environment? Answers will be found at one of the big attractions at CARTES 2013 – the Smart Shopping area. This zone, designed in partnership with independent consultant ADN’co, brings together the most significant innovations in the payment and retail industries, displayed as customer journeys renewed by new technologie
  • Foundation funds research for informed campaigning
    April 29, 2015
    ITS International talks to Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the transport research and lobbying organisation, the RAC Foundation. It is through the eyes of an economist that Professor Stephen Glaister, emeritus professor of transport and infrastructure at Imperial College London and director of the RAC Foundation, views current and future transport problems. Having spent 30 years at the London School of Economics and another 10 at Imperial, the move to the RAC Foundation was a radical departure from
  • MasterCard and Cubic join forces on smart city payment solutions
    March 4, 2015
    MasterCard today is to partner with Cubic Transportation Systems, combining MasterCard’s everyday payments and loyalty management expertise with Cubic’s NextCity platform to develop solutions that: Enable transportation operators to offer flexible pricing based on system demand; Provide individual travellers with real-time guidance on their mobile devices on the smartest way to travel, offering fare incentives if the system becomes congested or overcrowded; Offer retailers at and around transportation hu
  • Growth of smart parking initiatives
    April 25, 2013
    New initiatives in smart parking have been announced in the US and Europe in recent months. Is the age of smarter parking finally with us? Jon Masters investigates. Smart parking comes to Manchester, reads the headline to a story posted on the UK city’s website towards the end of March this year. Sensors will be fixed to parking spaces to give drivers and authorities information on parking availability via mobile phone apps and other software, the story goes on to explain. Lower down the page, Manchester Ci