Telensa
Telensa, a Signify brand, delivers wireless smart street lighting control solutions based on Telecell hardware, UNB LPWAN connectivity, and its PLANet Central Management System, serving municipalities, utilities, and large venue operators across 30+ cities worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersPampisford, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Telensa does
Telensa, a brand within Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), designs, manufactures, and operates wireless smart street lighting control systems for municipalities, utilities, and large outdoor operators across North America, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific. Its offering is built around three tightly integrated components: the Telecell control node, a hardware device installed on each luminaire that includes a revenue-grade metering chip; the Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) Low Power Wide Area Network that Telensa pioneered for low-cost city-scale IoT connectivity; and the PLANet Central Management System (CMS), the software platform that orchestrates, configures, and monitors entire streetlight estates, with stated capability to manage millions of connected nodes across multiple vendors via TALQ-certified interfaces.
The business has progressively broadened from single-purpose streetlight control into a multi-application smart city platform. The 2019 launch of Urban IQ, the Sensor Hub, and the Multi-Sensor Pods extended the network into traffic, footfall, pollution, and noise sensing with Microsoft Power BI-based analytics, while the City Data Guardian trust platform under the Urban Data Project positions the company in urban data governance and AI-assisted analytics on Azure. Supporting infrastructure includes the UniConnect interoperability layer combining APIs and TALQ compliance, the hybrid network approach mixing private radio with cellular options such as NB-IoT, and a manufacturing partnership with Sony UK Tech Centre in Pencoed, Wales, which produced the 2 millionth telecell in 2019.
Telensa's commercial model is enterprise B2B with multi-year contracts to municipalities and utilities, structured around hardware sales (control nodes and base stations) combined with subscription/managed-service components for the CMS and ongoing network management. Channel reach is delivered through regional sales offices in the Americas (Telensa Inc.), EMEA (Cambridge UK headquarters), and Asia Pacific (Signify Innovations Australia), plus an official channel alliance with Eaton Lighting for North American utility, city, and Department of Transport accounts. Documented deployments span 30+ cities and large estates such as Georgia Power's near-300,000-light conversion, NEC Birmingham's 652-acre venue, and UK county councils including Leicestershire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Hertfordshire, with documented energy reductions of 25-80% and ROI within 4-7 years on a 20-year product lifespan.
Telensa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Telensa
- Legal name
- Telensa Ltd
- Website
- https://telensa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Telensa, a Signify brand, delivers wireless smart street lighting control solutions based on Telecell hardware, UNB LPWAN connectivity, and its PLANet Central Management System, serving municipalities, utilities, and large venue operators across 30+ cities worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Telensa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Smart Street Lighting Control Systems
- NAICS
- Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351), Current-Carrying Wiring Device Manufacturing (335931)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lighting Controls & Smart Lighting Systems (BPABAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Lighting Controls & Building Integration (Drivers, sensors, dimming, lighting control panels, networked lighting) (IMAGAIAI), Building Connectivity Infrastructure (Wired/Wireless, Gateways, Edge) (HSAPAPAN)
Keywords
Where Telensa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pampisford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Telensa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Smart Street Lighting Control Systems: Sale of connected street lighting control solutions including Telecell control nodes, UNB network infrastructure, and PLANet CMS software platform. Revenue derived from hardware (control nodes) combined with software/subscription components for ongoing network management.
- Smart City Sensor Platform (Urban IQ): Connectivity and sensor management solutions for smart city applications beyond street lighting. Revenue from sensor hub hardware and analytics dashboard services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise B2B pricing for municipalities and utilities - custom quotes |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Telensa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Telensa manufactures and sells smart street lighting control hardware (Telecell control nodes and basestations) and software (PLANet Central Management System) using proprietary Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) wireless network technology. The integrated platform enables municipalities and utilities to remotely configure, monitor and dim streetlights, reduce energy consumption, and extend the network into broader smart city applications through the Urban IQ sensor connectivity solution and Sensor Hub hardware, alongside the City Data Guardian trust platform for secure urban data analytics.
Product overview
Telensa, a Signify brand, delivers smart street lighting control solutions as a unified platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering centers on PLANet Central Management System (CMS) - a software platform that configures, orchestrates and monitors streetlight systems - paired with Telecell Control Nodes (hardware installed on luminaires) and Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) wireless network technology. These core components are complemented by the Sensor Hub for multi-sensor connectivity, UniConnect for API and interoperability capabilities, and Urban IQ for connecting third-party sensors with Microsoft Power BI analytics. The City Data Guardian platform, part of the Urban Data Project, provides trust and privacy controls for urban data. With over 15 years of experience and a hybrid network approach, Telensa enables cities worldwide to manage street lighting, host sensors, and build safer, more connected communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PLANet: Central Management System (CMS) for smart street lighting control and monitoring.
- UniConnect
- Telecell Control Node
- Urban IQ
- Urban Data Project
Products and services
- PLANet Central Management System (CMS) Software platform that configures, orchestrates and monitors entire streetlight systems and is capable of managing millions of connected streetlights across multiple networks and vendors (technology-agnostic). Targeted at municipalities, utilities, and large infrastructure operators.
- Telecell Control Node Wireless control node installed on each streetlight luminaire, enabling wireless communication, providing insights into light performance, and featuring a revenue-grade metering chip for accurate energy consumption recording. Sold to municipalities, utilities, and parks/ports operators.
- Urban IQ Future-proof sensor connectivity solution that connects third-party sensors over multiple wireless networks to a dashboard and analytics environment built on Microsoft Power BI, enabling cities to deploy sensors today while supporting any future smart city strategy. Targeted at cities and municipalities.
- Sensor Hub Multi-purpose device providing power and connectivity for multiple sensors on any light pole or arm, enabling sensors to be mounted anywhere on the light pole without adaptation to the luminaire and providing local wireless connectivity for sensors near the pole.
- City Data Guardian Secure-by-design trust platform that puts cities in control of their data, applies privacy policies, ensures regulatory compliance, and makes data available to improve services and drive future city revenues. Part of the Urban Data Project and built on Microsoft Azure with AI/ML for analysing traffic, footfall, pollution and noise data.
- Multi-Sensor Pods Devices that gather and fuse sensor data including camera and radar imaging to measure levels of traffic, footfall, pollution and noise. Data is processed at the edge for security before being transmitted to the City Data Guardian platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 80% energy savings when connected LED lighting is properly managed
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Telensa
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Telensa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
Telensa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Microsoft (Azure IoT Central)coreDemonstrated smart city applications integration through Azure IoT Central at Smart City Expo World Congress Barcelona 2019. Combined street lighting control and traffic monitoring for 58% energy reduction. IoT Central provides common data fabric, analytics, device management and visualization.
- Eaton LightingcoreOfficial alliance for North American market. Decade of joint projects covering hundreds of thousands of streetlights. Telensa controls integrated with Eaton LED luminaires for utilities, cities and Departments of Transport across North America. Partnership formalized at IES Street and Area Lighting Conference in San Diego.
- KainoscoreKainos selected as lead digital and data partner for Urban Data Project. Building and supporting City Data Guardian trust platform. Partnership leverages Kainos' Microsoft Azure expertise and government digital services experience. Collaboration on Urban IQ sensor platform development.
- MicrosoftcorePart of Urban Data Project consortium with Microsoft Azure as platform foundation. Azure IoT Central used for smart city application integration. Power BI for Urban IQ dashboard analytics. Microsoft UK Partner of the Year relationship with Kainos.
- Smart CambridgecoreLaunch partner city for Urban Data Project. Cambridgeshire County Council Smart City Programme collaborating on urban data collection and AI/machine learning applications.
- Northeast GroupminorIndustry analyst firm that has named Telensa as global #1 in smart street lighting. Provides market research and forecasting for smart street lighting industry.
- Salix FinancecoreNot-for-profit organization providing interest-free finance for UK public sector energy efficiency projects. Supported 81 local authorities on street lighting projects with over £190m funding. Enables local authority procurement of Telensa smart street lighting solutions.
- DemmaminorBuilding Management System provider. Integrated Telensa API with NEC Birmingham's BMS system using Demma Integrator software. Enabled site staff to control Telensa system through existing BMS interface.
- Sony UK Tech CentrecoreManufacturing partner for Telensa products at Sony UK Tech Centre in Pencoed, Wales. All Telecells and basestations manufactured at Sony facility. 2 millionth telecell milestone achieved. Products assembled in pods with high quality manufacturing standards.
- Navigant ResearchminorIndustry analyst firm providing case study research on utility smart street lighting deployments including Georgia Power case study featured on Telensa website.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Telensa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- DimOnOff: Canadian smart street lighting controls vendor serving North American municipalities and utilities. Direct competitive overlap with Telensa's Telecell/PLANet offering in targeted city-scale deployments.
- TVILIGHT: Niche Dutch provider of smart street lighting controls and city IoT. Direct competitor in the European mid-sized city segment with comparable LPWAN/mesh wireless architectures.
- Flashnet (now part of Engie): Provider of intelligent street lighting management (intelegrid platform) now backed by Engie. Competes in municipal networked lighting and is increasingly bundled with utility-scale energy services.
Direct peers
- Itron: Provides networked streetlight controls and smart city/utility IoT solutions (including the former Silver Spring Networks platform). Competes head-to-head with Telensa in utility smart lighting tenders globally, particularly in North America and Europe.
- Current (GE Current / Current Lighting): Offers intelligent LED street lighting with networked controls, including the LightGrid system. Direct competitor in municipal and utility smart street lighting deployments with strong North American market presence.
- Schréder (Shuffle / smart street lighting): European lighting manufacturer offering connected street lighting with integrated sensors and city management software. Direct peer in EMEA municipal smart city projects with similar wireless-control architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Acuity Brands: Large North American lighting and controls company with smart outdoor lighting offerings (DTL, ROAM). Competes in networked street lighting controls, although its primary focus is broader commercial lighting.
- Signify (Interact City / Philips Lighting): Global lighting giant and Telensa's parent company; offers the Interact City platform for networked street lighting and smart city IoT. Direct technology overlap and the most established incumbent in smart municipal lighting worldwide.
- Osram / ams OSRAM (Streetlight Control): Global lighting manufacturer offering smart street lighting solutions including the SymphoCity platform. Competes with Telensa in European municipal tenders and provides an alternative lighting-firmware-plus-controls stack.
- Cisco (Smart City / Kinetic for Cities): Provides smart city networking infrastructure including connected street lighting via the Cisco Kinetic platform. Overlaps in the smart city connectivity and management layer that Telensa also serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Telensa social profiles
Digital presenceTelensa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Telensa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Telensa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Telensa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Telensa
What does Telensa do?
Telensa manufactures and sells smart street lighting control hardware (Telecell control nodes and basestations) and software (PLANet Central Management System) using proprietary Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) wireless network technology. The integrated platform enables municipalities and utilities to remotely configure, monitor and dim streetlights, reduce energy consumption, and extend the network into broader smart city applications through the Urban IQ sensor connectivity solution and Sensor Hub hardware, alongside the City Data Guardian trust platform for secure urban data analytics.
Is Telensa a public or private company?
Telensa is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Telensa founded?
Telensa was founded in 2008. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Telensa based?
Telensa is headquartered in Pampisford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Telensa make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Smart Street Lighting Control Systems are the primary driver. The others are smart City Sensor Platform (Urban IQ).
Who are Telensa's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are DimOnOff, TVILIGHT and Flashnet (now part of Engie). Direct peers are Itron, Current (GE Current / Current Lighting) and Schréder (Shuffle / smart street lighting). Broad incumbents are Acuity Brands, Signify (Interact City / Philips Lighting), Osram / ams OSRAM (Streetlight Control) and Cisco (Smart City / Kinetic for Cities).
Does Telensa have an API?
Yes. Telensa provides open APIs (UniConnect) that enable integration with external systems including workflow systems, asset management systems, building management systems, and third-party smart city networks. The TALQ protocol enables interoperability with third-party control nodes from other vendors. APIs allow for data exchange for functions such as timezone and schedule integration into existing BMS systems.
What industry is Telensa in?
Telensa's product category is Smart Street Lighting Control Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABAGAC, Lighting Controls & Smart Lighting Systems, with a secondary code of IMAGAIAI, Lighting Controls & Building Integration (Drivers, sensors, dimming, lighting control panels, networked lighting). Its NAICS code is 3351 and its SIC code is 3640.