AI innovation will be central to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will help solving humanity's grand challenges by capitalizing on the unprecedented quantities of data now being generated on sentiment behavior, human health, commerce, communications, migration and more.

The first edition of “Building the SMART Future” conference was organized on December 7^th, 2017 at the Meydan Hotel, Dubai, UAE. The conference highlighted the latest smart cities trends and technologies and tackled the challenges that governments and telcos are facing in their journey to make their cities smarter.

Panels discussed artificial intelligence and its impact on transportation, employment and health sectors in addition to IoT being a driver of smart cities around the world. 

In addition, the conference hosted the ITU CXO meeting. ITU hosted the first CXO meeting in October 2016 in Tunisia. The conclusion of the first CXO meeting went on to feed discussions in ITU on the promotion of OTT (over-the-top) innovation, possible regulatory approaches to OTT, and the value of partnerships between OTT players and network operators 

• Building the SMART Future 2017

As technological innovation accelerates towards a more intelligent society, our world is changing every day. Innovations in technology and science have brought us greater convenience and have caused society to evolve but it has also created the digital gap.

A group of telecommunication experts have discussed the 'challenges' and 'opportunities' in a data-driven world at the world's first ever forum on Data Management. The event was a joint-collaboration between the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which was held in Dubai, UAE.

Hong Kong's director general of communications, Eliza Lee Man-Ching has responded to scathing criticism over the government's policy approach to 5G spectrum allocation from its largest operator HKT.

The UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has published the results of its ‘United for Smart Sustainable Cities’initiative (U4SSC) which highlights Moscow’s efforts in digitally transforming the city, according to the Moscow Department of IT.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has conducted a case study centered on Moscow's progress in meeting the objectives of its 'smart city' strategies and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Entitled Implementing ITU-T International Standards to Shape Smart Sustainable Cities: The Case of Moscow​, the study was undertaken using the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Smart Sustainable Cities developed by the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative.

The key findings and policy recommendations made by the ITU Focus Group on Digital Financial Services following the conclusion of its extensive two-year consultation process have been hailed by stakeholders across the ICT and financial-services sectors as an 'incredible success'. The ITU Focus Group presented its 85 'policy recommendations' at a workshop entitled 'Digital Financial Services and Financial Inclusion' hosted by the World Bank in Washington D.C. on 19 April.

Director of ITU's Telecommunications Standardization Bureau, Dr. Chaesub Lee, has confirmed that the ITU will seek to develop international standards for the internet of things and smart cities. Smart Cities World Forums magazine managed to secure an exclusive interview with Dr. Lee, who highlighted the progress the ITU is making towards defining 5G standards, and the benefits its KPI's are having for smart sustainable cities.

The ITU will present the key findings of its Focus Group at a Workshop on 'Digital Financial Services and Financial Inclusion' - which will be hosted by the World Bank in Washington DC, on April 19th. The event has been organized by the ITU and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The workshop provides the opportunity for the Focus Group to highlight the 85 policy recommendations it has made following its extensive two-year consultation research project.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report on cities and the importance of achieving a net-zero world.

Trace Media, parent company of Telecom Review and Smart Cities World Forums, is hosting a virtual webinar on 16 July about IPv6 to discuss enhanced innovations, policies and the best practices for the 5G and Cloud era.

As we move towards a more digitalized future, concerns continue to grow about consumer privacy. Are legal systems adapting to the fast-paced age of emerging tech?

South Korean telecom provider SK Telecom and Nokia have successfully reduced latency between handset and base station to 2 milliseconds over SK Telecom's network, the company announced on September 4.

Around 2000 participants from over 120 countries around the world attended the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good Global Summit in Switzerland between May 28-31 to discuss the latest innovations in AI and how they could be utilized to combat pressing global issues.

The annual IPv6 Enhanced Summit was held online on June 23, in its 3rd Middle-Eastern edition, with international and regional industry experts who gave insightful keynotes on the online summit’s main theme “IPv6 Enhanced: Inspiring Innovation, Boosting Middle East Digitalization”.

Dubai's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has hosted the world's first ever forum on Data Management. The event was a joint collaboration with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) who hosted the inaugural forum under the slogan of 'Transforming data into value, expanding the IoT potential with a special focus on Smart Cities'. The forum welcomed participation from a wide group of experts and decision-makers from around the world, as well as many UAE government entities and private sector companies.

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Director General, H.E. Mr. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori believes that governance frameworks and policies need to be properly established to ensure data is exchanged and shared effectively in order to drive innovation, creativity, enterprise and create new ecosystems.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the United Arab Emirates and The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), signed an agreement on 29 June 2020 to establish an International Center of Digital Innovation, known as I-CoDI.