Cities all over the world are currently implementing strategies and initiatives aimed at making their city 'smarter'. The topic of smart cities is a constant theme at ICT events on a global basis, and the implementation of 'smart city' policies continues to accelerate and gain momentum. A perfect illustration of a city reinventing itself to become 'smarter' is the US city of Austin.

China is leading the global race in the development of smart cities with the world’s second-largest economy now having over 500 smart city projects either ready or under construction.

Dr. Winnie Tang JP is an Honorary Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong. She is one of the locally-bred IT entrepreneurs of Hong Kong and the Honorary President of Smart City Consortium. Over the years, she has been actively advocating the use of technology and sharing her views regarding the ICT industry, eHealth, environmental conservation, entrepreneurship and smart city concepts through her services in government and non-government organizations in Hong Kong.

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.

Since 1982, China began to receive loans from the Kuwait Arab Economic Development Foundation, mainly to support the construction of local areas in China. The foundation has so far provided China with nearly 305 million credits. For the past 40 years, the Kuwait Arab Economic Development Foundation has been cooperating well with China and has witnessed the country’s development.

A report formed to establish which cities in the United States were the 'smartest' - has found that New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are the country's leading 'smart cities'. The report examined smart cities in North America and the research was conducted by ABI Research.

US President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have announced a number of new initiatives and projects that it believes will help accelerate its 5G network growth ambitions in the United States.

Singapore, London and Seoul have been named the world’s smartest cities following a new report compiled by the Eden Strategy Institute. The comprehensive study which was conducted in partnership with ONG&ONG Experience Design (OXD) involved 140 smart cities.

South American cities are seeking investment capital for $9.5 billion in order to help them develop and construct 'smart water' infrastructure projects across the continent.

Swedish network provider Blink Services, which provides LoRaWAN for 'smart city' solutions has announced that it has selected its partner for its nationwide Internet of Things program. Multi-Tech Systems has been chosen by the Swedish firm after an intensive vetting process. It has been reported that Multi-Tech's close working relationship and shared partnership with French LPWAN organization Actility played a significant role in the company earning the contract.

The UK city of Nottingham has been recognized by Huawei's latest UK Smart Cities Index for its progressive approach to energy conservation. Nottingham was given the Star Award in recognition for its energy efforts in the city.

US telecommunications behemoth Verizon has pledged its commitment to helping the environment in an effort to address climate change by investing $1bn in green-friendly projects.

Dr. Young-sook Nam, secretary general of WeGO (World Smart Sustainable Organization) has said that WeGO can share and deliver their expertise and knowledge in smart sustainable city development by providing consulting services to member cities through feasibility study programs. Smart Cities World Forums magazine managed to secure an exclusive interview with Dr. Young-sook Nam who provided us with an in-depth and fascinating insight into the work conducted by WeGO.