Nokia is working with Japan's NTT DOCOMO to test applications using a 5G base station and the Intel® 5G Mobile Trial Platform end-user device. This demonstrates the potential of Nokia 5G FIRST to deliver enhanced broadband at vastly greater scale. A showcase at the 5G Tokyo Bay Summit 2017 will signal the start of 5G trials in the Tokyo area.

At an exciting event held at The Pearl, Ooredoo showcased the true power and speed of Ooredoo 5G with smart city technology that will be available in the future.

PwC is one of the leading professional services networks in the world, helping to build trust and solve some of the region's most important problems. The firm works with governments and enterprises in the Middle East to completely transform their business models and embrace digital transformation.

Chinese 'smart bike' sharing service Mobike has announced that it will use IoT technology solutions from US chipmaker Qualcomm and telecommunications colossus AT&T in a bid to accelerate its expansion plans in the United States.

Qualcomm has joined AT&T, Nokia, IBM, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec and Trustonic as part of the IoT Cybersecurity Alliance formed earlier this year. The purpose of the group is to collaborate and pool together collective capabilities and resources to tackle emerging security challenges in the Internet of Things (IoT).

Qualcomm Technologies has launched the Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform, featuring the company's first family of system-on-chips (SoCs) purpose-built for the Internet of Things (IoT) using advanced 10nm FinFET process technology.

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.

Linksys are celebrating 30 years of networking and Wi-Fi innovation for the home and business this year, and it has announced that there is rapid adoption of IoT in the Middle East with a growing number of people investing in smart devices for their home, according to latest study by Linksys on consumer Wi-Fi usage trends, ahead of GITEX Technology Week.

The possibilities of IoT in the home are endless, from smart lighting and thermostats to smart fridges to machine learning devices. Linksys’ study shows there is growing use of voice assistants and TV signals that are primarily internet based.

"The number of people using smart devices in the home is increasing rapidly, which means there is also a growing need to upgrade to bigger, faster home Wi-Fi systems," says Amanulla Khan, Managing Director Linksys Middle East, Turkey and Africa. "People may not realize that even if they only stream Netflix on a smart TV, it affects the overall Wi-Fi experience for others in the household by using bandwith."

Smart TVs lead the way:
According to the Linksys study, 85.4% of respondents from the Middle East own at least one smart TV, out of which 27.9% respondents own multiple smart TVs. UAE ranks above Saudi Arabia in the adoption of smart TVs, with 86.6% and 84.2% respondents respectively.

Watching TV through the internet is very popular in the Middle East, with internet-based entertainment being the primary source of TV for 22.3% of respondents. This is widely seen in the UAE, among 26.8% of respondents, and 17.8% seen in Saudi Arabia. Subscribing to TV services is still big in the Middle East and the study highlights about 25.5% of Middle East respondents using their smart TVs for subscription-based TV services. Of this figure, 52.1% use it to download TV series and movies, and 31.4% use it to live-stream sport events.

Voice Assistants on the rise:
The use of chatbots and virtual assistants, commonly called voice assistants, is rapidly increasing. The use of voice assistants such as Amazon Echo, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home is on the rise, with 35.7% ownership amongst respondents.

Other smart devices that have reached the 40% adoption barrier include connected security cameras and smart lighting, with 39.3% and 39.6% of Middle East respondents owning such devices respectively. While the use of smart doorbells is very popular - they are owned by almost half of the Middle East respondents (46.5%) -thermostats by Nest and Netatmo lag behind, with only 24.6% of respondents owning such devices.

The numbers by country:

UAE
Most likely (24%) of all to be classified as smart home adopters
Most likely of all to own a smart or connected TV (87%), and smart plugs (43%)
Most likely of all to consider purchasing a smart or connected TV (88%), and smart plugs (64%)

Saudi Arabia
Most likely (38%) of all to be classified as extreme smart home adopters
Most likely of all to own smart doorbells (48%), smart lighting (42%), smart switches (41%), connected security cameras (40%), voice assistants (38%), and smart thermostats (27%)
Most likely of all to consider purchasing smart lighting (68%), connected security cameras (67%), smart doorbells (63%), smart switches (63%), voice assistants (62%), and smart thermostats (47%)

Living in the digital age, the internet is increasing a part of our daily lives and a new normal for all. Linksys’ study forecasts that 58.5% of respondents who don’t own any smart home devices are keen to adopt IoT in their homes, with UAE at 55% and Saudi Arabia at 62%. Adoption of smart lighting was higher, at 58%, and 52% of respondents are considering investing in this by 2020. The Middle East will see a steady adoption of voice assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, with 28.5% of respondents considering such a purchase by 2019.

Khan explains: "While we are now talking smart lighting and voice asistants, in the next couple of years we’ll move to even smarter connected devices in the home driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Solutions include Phyn, a smart water management system that protects your home from leaks by learning from your usage, and Whirlpool’s smart kitchen range, which automatically preheats the oven and cooks dishes based on recipes. These innovations will accelerate the number of IoT devices in the home and also the need for up-to-speed Wi-Fi.

Whoever wants a smart home needs to be smart and futureproof his or her home network too."

During GITEX, visit the Linksys stand at Hall 1 of Dubai World Trade Centre - the trade fair will run from 14-18 October 2018. Visitors will be able to experience a smart home with Intelligent Mesh™ technology brought to reality by Award Winning Velop Whole Home Wi-Fi system with entry-level Dual-Band offerings. Linksys will also showcase a range of disruptive intelligent business solutions for SMBs.

The Dutch city of Rotterdam has announced that it is partnering with IBM to develop and deploy Internet of Things technologies that will be used in preparation for autonomous shipping in the city.

Colombia’s Santa Marta City has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global solution providers Gorilla Technology Group, Inc., NC Digy Smart Cities, and AECOM to become an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart city, advancing Latin America’s urban innovation.

SAP will enable the Middle East's smart cities and smart future of connected vehicles, Internet of Things, cloud, and telecommunications, thanks to innovative digital marketplaces, partnerships, and solutions announced at Mobile World Congress 2018 which was held last week in Barcelona.

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.

Securing the Internet of Things will drive New Kuwait 2035's national digital transformation, said one of the world's leading cyber security experts on the sidelines of his talk at KIACS Cyber Security in Kuwait.

Connected devices are already counted in the billions, and analysts predict these numbers will hit 6.4 billion worldwide by the end of the year. While there's plenty of business potential in these expanding connections, there's a big downside however - with security vulnerabilities growing exponentially. Moath Ismail, Telecommunication Solutions & Services Director for Middle East at Gemalto, explains that because the Internet of Things (IoT) makes virtually every aspect of information governance more complicated, providing hacker-tight security has become more complicated too. With more devices and more information comes more vulnerability.

A report conducted by Phillips Lighting has named Singapore, London and Barcelona as the world’s best smart cities. The comprehensive study examined the drivers and hurdles presented by local authorities that are considering implementing smart city programs into their respective cities.

The global smart buildings market is poised for remarkable growth, with projections indicating an increase from USD 129,525.68 million in 2024 to a staggering USD 509,007.50 million by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.66% in the 2024 to 2032 forecast period, according to Market Research Future.

Nee research into the global phenomenon of the Internet of Things (IoT) has claimed that revenue from the emerging technologies in the smart city sector will increase its total revenue from $25bn in 2017 to a whopping $62bn in 2026.

Smart Dubai has concluded another successful participation in GITEX Technology Week, where it showcased its main strategies, services, and initiatives that seek to cement Dubai's global lead in the smart city sector.

Japanese telecoms and internet corporation SoftBank, a subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp., announced that it is developing an Embedded Subscriber Identity Module ("eSIM") Platform as part of its efforts to promote Internet of Things ("IoT") solutions. The platform, which is scheduled to start operating in 2017, enables remote eSIM provisioning by connecting to carrier communication networks with the required profiles.

South Korean President, Moon Jae-in has said that he plans to export their smart cities after the construction of their two test-bed cities.