Telefónica has just finished the first phase of a pilot project that will transform the town of Águas de São Pedro in the state of São Paulo into Brazil’s first ‘smart city’.

Telefónica Vivo has now finished the first phase of a project that replaces the outdated telecommunications exchange in Águas de São Pedro, located 200 kilometers from the city of São Paulo, with five new fiber optic exchanges located at five points around the city.

These exchanges will provide users with broadband speeds of up to 25 Mbps for the entire area compared with the 10 Mbps that is currently obtainable. In this first phase Telefónica Vivo also rolled out its new 4G network.

In addition to the improvements in voice and data service which these upgrades will provide, this Telefónica-led project also includes significant initiatives in other areas such as education, healthcare and the management of public services.

Telefónica’s smart city project in São Paulo also has a smart lighting tool for public areas, surveillance systems for public safety, traffic management and a tracking system for available parking places. The pilot project will serve as a foundation for other similar programs that the company plans to carry out in this Latin American country.

In the tourist sector, Telefónica’s project includes plans to install digital kiosks at different public areas with information about the city’s main attractions and events that might interest visitors to the area.

In healthcare, doctors will be able to manage their appointments over the internet as well as track the clinical progress of their patients.