The first wave of 5G technology rolled out late last year when AT&T quietly launched 5G hotspots in nineteen cities and Verizon began selling the Moto Z3 — the world’s first 5G-enabled phone. While it could be years until 5G networks are as ubiquitous as 4G LTE, many companies are actively developing technologies to take advantage of the higher speed and lower latency of 5G networks.

The rise of high-speed cellular connectivity, big data analytics, autonomous vehicles and other technologies has created enormous opportunities for local governments. These technologies could help reduce traffic congestion and emissions, improve safety and operational efficiency, and better engage citizens.

Public transportation could unlock anywhere from $1.5 million to $1.8 billion per year in value depending on the size of the city, according to a study by Rutgers University. These benefits come from many different places. Riders that don’t need to purchase a second vehicle can save nearly $10,000 per year.

Traffic congestion costs more than $300 billion each year in the U.S. alone, according to INRIX, due to lost productivity, increased transportation cost, wasted fuel and other factors. New smart city advancements aim to alleviate traffic congestion with the help of new technologies, including cellular connectivity, artificial intelligence, new sensors and connected vehicle technologies.

Imagine that a strong storm sweeps through a city and high winds knock traffic signals down from wires and off poles. In addition to creating unsafe driving conditions, these outages can slow emergency response efforts and require emergency personnel to direct traffic when their services might be needed elsewhere. These side effects can quickly add up in cost and social impact.

Imagine that you’re merging onto the highway and your vehicle suddenly takes care of the driving. The car accelerates to fit bumper-to-bumper with a group of vehicles traveling at a fast speed. You’re free to make the most of your commute without worrying about sudden congestion or other dangers of highway driving.