Chinese vendor Huawei has partnered with Canadian telecommunications operator TELUS on an urban trial of 5G wireless-to-the-home service using customer premise equipment (CPE). It has been claimed that the innovative trial is the first of its kind in North America and among the first globally.

As technology suppliers develop the next-generation of wireless technologies, mobile operators invest in the networks of the future, and governments launch innovation programs, the early benefits of 5G will go to economies where globally aligned 5G spectrum and technology innovation is readily available.

Only 1 percent of CIOs indicated any kind of blockchain adoption within their organizations, and only 8 percent of CIOs were in short-term planning or active experimentation with blockchain, according to Gartner's 2018 CIO Survey. Furthermore, 77 percent of CIOs surveyed said their organization has no interest in the technology and/or no action planned to investigate or develop it.

London has reiterated its effort to reduce the harmful levels of pollution in the city by deploying the first ever electric taxis in the city. However, in an effort to maintain the traditional features of the city, the environmentally-friendly taxis will be the iconic 'black cabs'.

Some of the world's biggest cities have pledged their commitment to protect the environment and rid their cities of harmful fossil fuels by agreeing to deploy zero emissions buses from 2025. Twelve major cities will introduce the environmentally-friendly vehicles to its transportation systems from 2025, in a bid to make major areas of their cities 'fossil fuel free' by 2030.

Commuters have warmly welcomed the announcement made by city authorities that it will provide 4G connectivity for passengers using the London Underground from 2019 onwards. This latest program represents the latest in a series of initiatives being spearheaded by city officials, who are aiming to make London one of the world's 'smartest cities'.

A consortium of German network solutions providers has combined their expertise and capabilities in a bid to accelerate the deployment of IoT network rollouts across Germany. Telent, which is an organization that specializes in networks systems for critical infrastructure has formally announced that it aims to accelerate the deployment of LoRaWAN and enterprise IoT solutions for smart city, transport, energy and Industry 4.0 sectors all over the country.

New Zealand telecommunications firm Spark has formally announced that it is set to expand its rollout of Internet of Things in the country. In a statement issued to the press, Spark confirmed that its long-range, low-power network will be deployed for commercial use in 60% of the places where New Zealand residents live, work and play.

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance - which drives and guides the development of all future mobile broadband technology with a focus on 5G - has published its three deliverables on 5G Extreme Requirements entitled "Operators' views on fundamental trade-offs", "RAN Solutions", and "End-to-End considerations", respectively.

Nokia has been selected by Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) to enhance the microwave communications network that supports a range of mission-critical services for the utility's power transmission and distribution grid. The new network, based on packet microwave technology, is intended to support power delivery and reliability for KCP&L's more than 800,000 customers in and around Kansas City, Missouri as well as parts of neighboring state of Kansas.

Finnish telecommunications firm Nokia has announced that it has signed a MoU with Singaporean telecommunications operator Star-Hub in a collective effort to drive innovation in the technologically-driven country.

A research firm has claimed that 'smart city' technologies could save governments, enterprises and citizens globally over $5 trillion annually by 2022. The claims were made by US firm ABI Research following their publication of a whitepaper which examined the impact of cities deploying 'smart' technology in major cities across the world.

Glasgow has extended its Internet of Things gateway as it accelerates its efforts to become a 'smart city'. The addition of another gateway, which now brings the total to nine, will significantly enhance connectivity and coverage across the Scottish city.

Singapore is set to embark on what it describes as a 'groundbreaking project' following the announcement that it will introduce two autonomous electric buses to the transportation fleet on the island by 2019.

South Korean telecommunications incumbent SK Telecom has been awarded a lucrative contract to build 5G infrastructure in an effort to support planned intelligent transportation system in Seoul.

South Korea, one of the prominent countries leading the charge towards the commercialization of 5G networks has conducted one of the world's first ever 5G auctions.

South Korea's largest telecommunications company has introduced new and innovative 5G services ahead of fully launching its next-generation wireless network in March.

Swedish car manufacturing colossus Volvo has embarked on an innovative project centered on helping the automotive firm accelerate its plan to develop and deploy autonomous vehicles. Volvo has announced that it is launching its 'Drive Me' campaign, which focuses on the participation of Swedish families.

WISeKey, a digital information security, authentication and identity management company based in Switzerland has announced that its Internet of Things blockchain technology is set to be deployed in a number of selected 'smart cities' in China.

US-based ride-hailing service Uber Technologies has announced that its expecting to be in a position to be able to deploy its 'flying' taxis by 2020. The company which has had endured a number of setbacks in recent months - also revealed the two cities in which the 'flying taxis' will first be deployed in.