Many people may think that security cameras are more within the domain of SETAR or other companies. The question remains about how ELMAR’s business model aligns with providing security camera services.
Director of Utilities NV, Anthony Irausquin, explained during a press conference on Tuesday morning, where the security camera project was announced, that ELMAR has the smart grid. No other company has a smart grid that communicates through street lighting systems.
It is a plug-in camera system. The cameras are installed on the same electricity poles; in this case, the signals are transmitted through them.
Irausquin made it very clear that ELMAR handles the technical aspect, but the monitoring part will be taken care of by the Police Force. All the images will be sent to their monitoring station in Macuarima, which will later be relocated.
This adds a new service, essentially providing a service that utilizes cameras. This is part of the new business model that ELMAR is working on.
If you consider ELMAR, it cannot solely sell electricity. It has to come up with new products. This is part of ELMAR’s new vision that will continue to change in the future and gradually add more cameras to this project.
They are talking about 40 cameras, but Aruba as a whole needs many more cameras. This means that the grid is ready for it and is a plug-in system. There is basically no need for major adaptations. It’s similar to communication lines, like a telephone. The signals travel easily, and it’s also very easy to manage.
For example, the Police Force might request a service for an event like Soul Beach and want cameras in that area. In this case, ELMAR can quickly adapt and provide the service to the Police Force.
As a state-owned company, ELMAR must comply with cybersecurity because it could be vulnerable if the site is not well protected, Irausquin mentioned.
