The smart city sector continues to expand exponentially and analysts have projected that it will hit $775 billion by 2021, following the announcement that more than 600 cities are set to go 'smart' in the next few years.

Government representatives at both a national and local level are collaborating with entrepreneurs and the University of Adelaide as part of a collective effort to transform Adelaide into a 'smart city'. The initiative is part of an overall program launched by the new Australian Smart Cities Consortium.

BT announced the launch of a new project with See.Sense, an innovative cycling company from Northern Ireland, to provide sensor-enabled and connected bike lights to up to 180 cyclists across Manchester as part of CityVerve, the UK's smart city demonstrator.

Solving complex crimes in heavily populated centers requires advanced security technologies and an adequate police force. Public security agencies are now exploring Safe City platforms that use the latest security technologies to improve efficiency, high-tech crime detection, and crime prevention, and expand police services on demand.

Strategic implementation of incubation projects and policies and early adoption of the latest in technological advancements have made Dubai the ideal place for tech innovation, a global consulting firm has found.

Sidewalk Labs, which Google kick started almost two years ago, may soon develop a "large-scale district" to serve as a living laboratory for urban innovation technologies, Dan Doctoroff, founder and CEO of the company, said at the Smart Cities NYC conference.

The creation of technologies to make our cities and everyday lives smarter is a growing reality - not least with emerging 5G broadband technology and the growing applications within the Internet of Things (IoT). But as these smart applications grow, both in their innovation and scope of use, so does the need to build a partnership ecosystem through which we can roll out innovations that are leading to nothing less than a digital transformation.

Vidsys, the leading global software technology manufacturer of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) and Converged Security and Information Management (CSIM) software, announced that neXgen Group, a leading smart city advisory and managed services provider based in the UAE, will be offering Smart Safety & Security as a service leveraging Vidsys' CSIM multi-tenant cloud-based solution.

SAP had a strong presence at Mobile World Congress this year, featuring a connected car demo, a connected stadium demo, and an announced collaboration with Apple to deliver the expanded SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS. In addition, SAP named its new Head of Telco for the MENA region, Mr. Bulent Unsal, who said the Middle East and North Africa is an important region for the company where it has formed partnerships with local telcos to implement smart city solutions.

'Smart cities' is an area where Sterlite Tech is positioned to implement end-to-end integration with the help of Elitecore. In emerging markets, governments are behind in developing digital infrastructure and are therefore looking to adopt smart city agendas to leap forward. Sterlite Tech, according to Mr. Mehta, offers a wide spectrum of solutions and services to address smart cities.

A new study published by Swisscom, a major telecommunications provider in Switzerland and IMD business school supports public authorities on the road to digitization. The document provides a comprehensive methodology and a decision-making tool to assist city leaders in the selection of digital projects.

The oldest city in the world is set to embrace technology that will transform its services in an effort to become a 'smart city'. The city of Varanasi, which is recognized as the holiest site for those who follow Hinduism is located on the Ganges Rivers in Northern India.

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.

Digital Catapult which is a leading UK digital innovation firm has issued an open call for prospective partners to help it extend its Internet of Things network across the United Kingdom. The firm which specializes in accelerating the application of digital technologies - has expressed its ambition to enhance the capabilities of the services it currently provides.

A recent survey conducted on the topic of 'smart cities' in the UK - has unearthed some surprising results. Over 67% of those surveyed felt that the implementation of 'smart cities' was a bad use of public finances - and also expressed concerns over the privacy implications of 'smart cities'.

An AI expert employed by a leading US based computing firm has claimed that AI (Artificial Intelligence) will play a key role in securing 'smart cities' - as nations continue to pursue smart city initiatives, projects and programs on a global basis in order to improve urban living. AI can enable law enforcement units to predict where crime could potentially be carried out after collecting and subsequently analyzing data retrieved from sensors and cameras.