Smart City Natal is a development by Planet Smart City, a smart affordable housing company, which has integrated digital, architectural, social and environmental innovation.

The Argentinian capital city of Buenos Aires has been named as the 'smartest city' in Latin America. The city has been recognized for its progressive digital innovation initiatives, sustainable policies and technology advancements - which has inevitably resulted in the city establishing itself as the leading 'smart city' on the continent.

Ericsson has extended its 20-year strategic partnership with Entel, the largest telecommunications company in Chile. Under the terms of the new contract, Ericsson will prepare Entel's network in the evolution path towards 5G by deploying its latest LTE FDD network technologies and LTE TDD Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output).

The cybersecurity market in Latin America has been projected to almost double in size. Analysts have predicted that the sector which was estimated at $6.19bn will grow to $13.49bn by 2022.

Satellite communications giant Intelsat said it will provide communications solutions for maritime customers in Latin America under an agreement with Brazil's Mareste, a privately held firm based in Rio de Janeiro.

The Mayor of Panama has declared his pride that the capital of Panama is Latin America's first 'smart city'. The global movement towards smart cities has been described as a phenomenon and South America has been slower than other continents in terms of embracing such a transformation. Cities all over the world are evolving as leaders attempt to shape a city that ultimately improves the lives of its residents.

Ecuador's Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency (ARCOTEL) and the GSMA have launched the "We Care Ecuador" campaign to set up local actions by telcos that will help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The average monthly cost of mobile services in Central and South American countries dropped approximately 20 percent between 2014 and 2017, according to Strategy Analytics Latin America Emerging Markets report. In addition, the level of data included in mobile plans in Latin America has doubled to an average of 3.4GB.

Motorola was the fastest growing smartphone brand in South America in Q2 2017, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service, while Samsung rose to a healthy and highest ever 41 percent marketshare. Smartphone shipments in the region grew 9 percent annually during Q2 (April-June) driven by improved macroeconomic climate, LTE rollout and open channel growth in some markets.

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.

Telecommunication organizations in Latin America are devising strategies aimed at implementing structures which can enable them to monetize 'Big Data'. Many are currently involved in developing and deploying 'Big Data' solutions. However, monetizing these efforts remains a challenge for telco's in South America.

A US online media corporation that is specifically designed for moviegoers has announced exciting expansion plans for Latin America. Fandango, which is the leading digital network globally for film enthusiasts has decided to switch its focus towards South America - and has unveiled a new global brand strategy for the continent.