US telecommunications incumbent AT&T has announced that it will expand its 5G trials to three additional US cities by the end of the year. The operator has already adopted an aggressive approach to developing the next-generation technology - but its latest statement is indicative of its desire to ramp up operations in its attempts to be in a position to deploy 5G technology by the end of 2018.

Australian telecommunications incumbent Telstra has announced that it is testing 5G-enabled Wi-Fi hotspots on two streets in Gold Coast in an effort to give users a taste of 5G as it evaluates its next move in relation to next-generation mobile technology.

Dutch multinational technology firm Yandex has announced that it has successfully conducted a test of a self-driving car in the Russian capital of Moscow. The company is Russia's largest technology firm and is commonly known as Russia's Google as it's also the country's main search engine with around 65% of market share.

Portugal is set to introduce 'free zones' in an attempt to accelerate the development and deployment of self-driving cars and drones in the country. The 'free zones' will also have special regulations which will subsequently allow firms developing driverless technology to test the vehicles in a much more stringent way.

German startup Lilium which is planning to develop a five-seater 'flying taxi' has announced that it has raised $90m following a round of financing which was led by Chinese internet colossus Tencent. It's the second round of financing the company has embarked upon, and its latest funding venture has now subsequently made it one of the best-funded electric aircraft projects on the market.

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 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.

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority (RTA), has announced that it will accelerate its efforts to deploy autonomous services in 2018 in a bid to make Dubai the 'smartest city' in the world.

SEAT President Luca de Meo and Telefonica's Spanish President Luis Miguel Gilperez have signed an agreement that aims to promote a joint effort to develop innovative initiatives in the automotive industry. The agreement reached, which makes Telefónica a strategic IT supplier to SEAT, is set within the framework of SEAT's strategy to position itself as a benchmark company in connected, digitized mobility solutions.

Dubai has established itself as one of the most modern cities in the entire world. Twenty years ago, it was a very different place, but the government decided to embrace technology and innovation to completely transform the city. However, it doesn't intend to rest on its laurels, and the Government of Dubai has expressed its desire to make Dubai the 'smartest city' in the world.

The UK government has announced that it will begin testing self-driving trucks on public roads in Britain next year. Tests of self-driving trucks in Europe have been ongoing for the last two years, and now the Tory-DUP led coalition government have agreed to introduce the revolutionary technology that looks set to transform the transportation industry.

The US Postal Service has confirmed that it will begin to embark upon a series of self-driving tests as part of the company’s overall strategy to embrace automation.

UK telecommunications colossus Vodafone has partnered with Swedish vendor Ericsson to trial next-generation 5G technology in Ireland’s capital city Dublin. Vodafone has claimed that the trial was a success and the pilot represents the very first live 5G test of the emerging technology in Ireland.