The development of a new 'smart community' in Canada labelled one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in the country is underway. REZ Real Estate officially confirmed that the construction of District Union, a project worth $900m has begun and signaling the emergence of a 'new smart, organic community' in the home of the Maple Leaf.

Europe’s smart lighting market is projected to grow from USD 3.54 billion in 2024 to USD 15.23 billion by 2033, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.58% between 2025 and 2033, according to ResearchAndMarkets.

New Zealand telecommunications firm Spark has formally announced that it is set to expand its rollout of Internet of Things in the country. In a statement issued to the press, Spark confirmed that its long-range, low-power network will be deployed for commercial use in 60% of the places where New Zealand residents live, work and play.

Nokia has joined 'Smart Tampere', an initiative to introduce smart city services that will foster economic development and improve the daily lives of citizens in Tampere, Finland. Smart Tampere brings together local companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local government and citizens to explore how digital technologies can be implemented in areas such as smart mobility, e-health, smart lighting, smart energy, extended user experience and more.

Dutch technology conglomerate Philips has introduced innovative 'smart lighting' which has illuminated one of China's largest bridges. Phillips Lighting Color Kinetics technology is providing the stunning visual lighting effects which can change up to 16.7 million colors.

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.

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.

Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler, and Zain KSA, a pioneering mobile telecommunications and digital services provider that is committed to supporting innovation and spearheading the next-generation’s technological revolution in the Middle East, announced a strategic engagement to fuel digital transformation journeys of enterprises and government organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). With this collaboration the combined ecosystems will deliver solutions and platforms to remodel cities with smart street lighting, smart waste management, connected workplace, healthcare and connected cars.

The UK government has announced that it is set to invest £150 million in digital infrastructure and open data in its efforts to make Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow, a world-leading 'smart city'. Glasgow has already received £24 million since 2013 which has been circulated through the Innovate UK innovation agency. The investment has served to not only enhance connectivity in the city, but it has also helped Glasgow develop technologies of the future that will be cost effective and energy efficient.

US telecommunications incumbent AT&T has announced that it is collaborating with the City of San Jose in a public-private partnership which aims to foster the creation of a smart city.