Verizon Acquires LQD For IoT

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Verizon has acquired New York-based LQD Wifi in a play to expand its Internet of Things (IoT) offering. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

LQD is a provider of public kiosks that offer gigabit public wifi, safety information and other public information capabilities. Verizon says that it plans to use the acquisition to improve its “smart cities” and IoT offerings. The two companies are reportedly already designing solutions for municipalities, private developers, academic institutions and entertainment venues, according to a statement on the deal.

Verizon also sees opportunity to promote civic innovation and deliver data driven solutions leveraging the open data platforms of cities with the acquisition.

LQD’s assets will be integrated with the infrastructure from Sensity Systems, which Verizon acquired last month. Verizon’s Smart Communities organization, which is a part of its IoT business, is also simplifying the creation of IoT applications through its ThingSpace platform.

As CivSource has previously reported, a number of cities are looking at wifi enabled kiosks as part of a smart cities program. Both New York City and Newark, New Jersey have rolled out high-profile kiosk projects. However, New York City has already rolled back some of the capabilities of its kiosk program over concerns about misuse.