US search engine giant Google has formally announced its plans to launch its innovative free public Wi-Fi initiative in Indonesia following the success of the program in India. Google's Wi-Fi project is entitled Google Station and it has been heralded as a brilliant success in India, since debuting in the region eighteen months ago.

Chinese telecommunications conglomerate Huawei has unveiled an ambitious project designed to empower the future development of smart cities at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. Huawei has announced that it is aiming to build a 'nervous system' of smart cities by utilizing and infusing new information and communications technology such as Big Data, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence.

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.

Japanese technology and IT colossus NEC Corporation has announced it will build a 'smart city infrastructure' platform aimed at integrating a range of data sources in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The innovative project is part of the government's initiative to make its capital a 'smart city' by enhancing connectivity, and utilizing data that can improve the services it provides for its citizens.

One of Brazil's largest cities is utilizing ‘smart data' in order to effectively overhaul its public transportation system. Belo Horizonte has a population of over 2million and contains the third largest metropolitan agglomeration in the South American country. Public transportation in the form of buses is the preferred method of travel for the majority of Belo Horizonte's residents.

The E-Home crowdsourcing initiative, which calls on citizens to make suggestions on how apartment living can  be managed by residents by means of digital technologies, is implementing three hundred and forty-two ideas across Moscow based on citizens’ recommendations received. 

A comprehensive new report which was compiled by Juniper Research has projected that spending on Internet of Things cybersecurity solutions is set to rise by an incredible 300% in the next five years.  The global research firm has estimated that investment in Internet of Things cybersecurity solutions will reach $6bn globally by 2023.

Japanese car manufacturing giant Nissan and its software gaming partner DeNA has announced that it plans to commence the public pilot of its self-driving ride-sharing service in Japan early next year. The disclosure represents the latest collaboration between a global car manufacturer and a technology firm that is leveraging automated driving technology into new mobility solutions.

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.

Finnish telecommunications colossus Nokia has formally announced that it has signed a five-year strategic agreement with Swedish telecommunications operator Tele2 in an effort to enable the delivery of IoT services to Tele2 enterprise customers based on Nokia's worldwide Internet of Things network grid (WING).

A director tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the construction of America's first 'smart city' has said that improving mobility and transportation will ultimately 'save lives'. Jordan Davis, Director of Smart Cities, Columbus Partnership, made the remark as Columbus, Ohio embarks on a revolutionary transformation that will make it the first 'smart city' in the US.

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.

Italian operator Telecom Italia has announced that the Republic of San Marino will become the first country in Europe to have a 5G mobile network. Telecom Italia made the prediction following the disclosure of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with government officials from San Marino.

The Smart Dubai Office (SDO) took home the prestigious City Project Award for the Dubai Blockchain Strategy at the Smart Cities Expo & World Congress, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, on November 14-16, 2017. The Strategy won first place following fierce competition against 308 projects from 58 countries.

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 telecommunications firm Telia has announced expansion plans for its connected car service in new markets in both Northern and Eastern Europe. The connected car service which is entitled Telia Sense, is a cloud-based platform that offers connected car services to both old and new vehicles has proved to be a massive success following its deployments in Sweden and Denmark.

Telenor announced the establishment of two new points of presence (PoP) in North America to meet customer demands in a high traffic region by enabling Voice and IPX based services, including LTE based signaling and data roaming. The two US PoPs add to the Telenor network which now includes 14 locations across North America, Europe and Asia.

T-Mobile and Nokia announced a landmark $3.5 billion agreement to accelerate the deployment of a nationwide 5G network. Nokia will provide T-Mobile with its complete end-to-end 5G technology, software and services portfolio, assisting the Un-carrier in its efforts to bring its 5G network to market for customers in the critical first years of the 5G cycle.

The two Japanese giants Toyota Motor Corp and SoftBank Group Corp announced their cooperation in developing mobility services for self-driving cars.

Uber have announced that it will resume its ride-hailing services in Taiwan following a series of successful talks with island authorities. The US firm suspended its services in the region after being hit with a series of fines and penalties after government figures claimed that Uber was misrepresenting itself by claiming to be a technology platform and not a transportation company. However, after a number of ‘constructive talks' Uber have ended its two-month suspension on services in Taiwan.