There’s new research on BLE Beacons in the Smart City: Applications, Challenges, and Research Opportunities.
The paper explains how BLE beacons are a promising solution for many smart city applications. It describes BLE beacons, protocols, competing wireless technologies and the types of applications.
![](https://www.beaconzone.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/bluetoothleprotocols.png)
The paper covers some applications such as proximity marketing, indoor navigation and location based services.
![](https://www.beaconzone.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/proximitybasedservices.jpg)
![](https://www.beaconzone.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/locationbasedservices.png)
Security and privacy issues are also mentioned such as cracking, spoofing and piggybacking.