Director of UniCity
John Putnam started as the Smart Cities Program Manager at altafiber (formerly Cincinnati Bell) in January 2018, and was promoted to Director of UniCity, altafiber’s Smart City Practice, in 2019. As the Director of UniCity, John works with local communities across the region to identify smart city needs and build solutions to address them.
John has a BA in Finance and a MBA with a focus in Marketing both from Miami University, Oxford Ohio. He has spent the previous 30 years in sales and management in the Information Technology and Telecommunications sectors, and has a strong background in voice, data, security, and Wi-Fi solutions.
The UniCity Team has deployed 60 smart city projects in the last three years with well over 2000 public WiFi hotspots. These projects have helped drive economic development, address digital equity, and increase public health.
What is a Smart City? Combining technology and community development expertise, UniCity works with governments of all sizes to problem solve through smart city solutions. Building on a foundation of connectivity through fiber and high-speed public Wi-Fi networks, UniCity works hand-in-hand with communities to custom build a suite of technology applications to impact business district vibrancy, neighborhood-based enhancements, public safety, and data-driven policy decision making.