TAICHUNG, Taiwan, October 2, 2026 — The 2026 Taichung Smart Pole Forum opens today at Taichung City Hall, bringing together representatives from industry, government, academia and research institutions in Taiwan and abroad. Centered on two priorities—enhancing urban governance and creating business opportunities through practical applications—the forum explores global smart city trends, 5G smart pole deployment, AIoT applications, and AI and cloud technologies for urban governance. Discussions examine how smart poles can evolve from traditional infrastructure into key nodes for urban sensing, communications and data applications, giving fresh momentum to Taichung’s smart city development.
Taichung City Government Secretary-General Chong-Dian Huang said that promoting smart poles involves more than replacing poles and other hardware. The aim is to make smart poles the “nerve endings” of urban governance. By integrating 5G communications, environmental microsensors and edge computing equipment, smart poles can collect urban information in real time. Combined with backend data analysis and intelligent applications, they enable technology to address practical governance needs in transportation, the environment and public safety.
Huang noted that the city government actively sought support last year for a smart pole planning project under the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Industrial Development Administration. Implementation began in March this year, with an in-depth examination of innovative smart pole applications in urban spaces and business models with the potential for sustainable operations. Integrating communications, sensing and computing equipment into smart poles can reduce the cost of duplicating infrastructure while strengthening the city’s ability to collect, analyze and use data in real time, gradually building more efficient and resilient smart city infrastructure.
The Bureau of Digital Development said the forum features prominent speakers from Taiwan and abroad sharing firsthand practical experience. Olivier Colaisseau, Mayor of Chanteloup-en-Brie, France, discusses global smart city development trends through the lens of international urban governance. Chung Yu Huang, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Pegatron Corporation, shares experience in deploying 5G smart poles from the perspectives of system integration and global supply chains. Chee Ching, President of Far EasTone Telecommunications, examines how 5G AIoT can connect smart city applications, while Hank Wu, General Manager of ASUS Cloud and Taiwan Web Service, focuses on how AI and cloud technologies can turn integrated data into tools that empower urban governance.
The forum concludes with a high-level panel titled “Building a City's Intelligent Neural Network: Smart Poles Leading Taichung Toward a New 5G Smart City Future.” Moderated by Hsueh-Cheng Wang, President of The Storm Media, the discussion brings together Chee Ching, President of Far EasTone Telecommunications; Chung Yu Huang, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Pegatron Corporation; Chao-Fu Yeh, Director of Taichung City Government's Transportation Bureau; Ming-Ho Huang, Chairman of Victor Taichung Machinery Works; and Hank Wu, General Manager of ASUS Cloud and Taiwan Web Service. Panelists exchange views on urban governance needs, 5G and AI technologies, system integration and industry development, exploring smart infrastructure suited to Taichung’s distinctive characteristics.
The bureau emphasized that smart poles serve multiple roles: urban infrastructure, data nodes and platforms for industry integration. Communications, sensing and intelligent application equipment can be installed according to the needs of different locations. The city government will continue to work across departments and with private-sector partners to identify suitable applications and deployment models for Taichung. By considering urban governance needs, industry development and sustainable operations together, the city aims to make technology a practical force for improving governance and residents' quality of life.
Alongside the speakers from Taiwan and abroad, attendees at today's forum include Secretary-General Chong-Dian Huang; Deputy Secretary-General Gu-Long Lin; Hui-Min Huang, Director of the Bureau of Digital Development; Chao-Fu Yeh, Director of the Transportation Bureau; Da-Tian Chen, Director of the Construction Bureau; and representatives of the smart pole industry, academic institutions and research organizations.
.jpg)
