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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.

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.

US president Donald Trump's administration has announced that it will unveil its revised guidelines on self-driving regulations early next week, following pressure from leading US car manufacturers who had requested the government to relax and eliminate legal barriers that prevented automakers from putting autonomous vehicles on public roads.

Washington DC has been awarded a global award for its outstanding leadership in energy, sustainability and environmental design. The US capital achieved its sustainability targets under the 'Smarter DC' program - and it now becomes the first ever recipient of the LEED Cities Platinum award.

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.

Tech firms including IBM and Red Hat were among many companies in attendance at a two-day presentation about US President Donald Trump's plan to build a digital system that uses data mining to implement "extreme vetting" to screen immigrants arriving in the United States.

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.

A US House of Representatives panel has vetoed a proposal which will enable car manufacturers to deploy up to 100,000 self-driving vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards and bar states from imposing driverless car rules.

Brazilian authorities have introduced real-time 'smart apps' that track gunfire in an effort to divert citizens away from gun violence which has engulfed Rio de Janeiro. Gun violence and crime has spiked in the beautiful seaside city. Drugs gangs are engaging in a bloody territorial war and police officers are forced to patrol the slums in a bid to try and exert some control.

Social networking colossus Facebook is challenging a gag order from a US court that is currently preventing the organization from talking about three government search warrants. However, Facebook are claiming that the preventative measures implemented by the US court pose a threat to freedom of speech.

The US government has announced that it is set to refocus its efforts on examining ways in which it can help speed up the process of taking new technologies to the marketplace. The Trump administration has announced its intentions to bring together a group of drone makers, wireless companies and venture capitalists to explore practices that will enable the commercialization of these technologies in a much more streamlined fashion.

Founder and chief executive of social media giant Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has suggested there should be a universal basic income for all people. This would allow people in society to take more risks, he said, allowing people more freedom to execute new ideas and business ventures, with the confidence that they won't go without basic things needed to live.

US tech giants Apple are the victims of its own incredible success, following a quarterly report which indicated its cash holdings, the vast majority of which is held overseas has surpassed the entire economic  out-put of Chile. Apple's stockpile of cash has reached a staggering $256.8 billion, and has sparked debate over what the technology leaders should do with such massive cash reserves.

The key findings and policy recommendations made by the ITU Focus Group on Digital Financial Services following the conclusion of its extensive two-year consultation process have been hailed by stakeholders across the ICT and financial-services sectors as an 'incredible success'. The ITU Focus Group presented its 85 'policy recommendations' at a workshop entitled 'Digital Financial Services and Financial Inclusion' hosted by the World Bank in Washington D.C. on 19 April.

The ITU will present the key findings of its Focus Group at a Workshop on 'Digital Financial Services and Financial Inclusion' - which will be hosted by the World Bank in Washington DC, on April 19th. The event has been organized by the ITU and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The workshop provides the opportunity for the Focus Group to highlight the 85 policy recommendations it has made following its extensive two-year consultation research project.

A ministerial working group has been established - and is tasked with the responsibility of developing the Brazilian Digital Strategy. The group held its first meeting in the last few days - and has been given sixty working days to establish guidelines designed to boost the digital economy and define the basis and role of the EDB.

A Canadian robo-adviser start-up has received a significant investment in a bid to boost its chances of successfully penetrating the already saturated U.S. market. Wealthsimple announced the investment of $20 million from Power Financial Corp and formally launched its operations in the US.

The Canadian government have revealed its plans to embrace the 'innovation agenda' which it has touted for the last number of years, by inviting cities from all over Canada to come together in order to develop a 'Smart Cities Plan' together.

Canada’s leading telecommunications operator has announced details of a significant funding package aimed at providing high-speed internet access to all, declaring it a vital service that all Canadians are entitled to receive.

Smart-City group Metro-Lab Network have announced the creation of an advisory council which is specifically designed at helping member cities implement its innovative technology projects. The new council aims to provide strategic advice to those who are the forefront of the digitization of cities on a global scale.

Michigan’s law enforcement officers have leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition technology to bust scam operations in Pennsylvania, successfully recovering USD 20,000 in fraudulent bank withdrawals.

In a significant move to transform the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) landscape, leading provider of bluetooth IoT products and solutions, Cassia Networks, and pioneering company for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven machine health solutions, Augury, have announced a strategic partnership.

Qualcomm Technologies has continued its drone leadership by unveiling the world’s first drone platform and reference design to offer both 5G and AI-capabilities.  The new solution follows the success of the Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars as a key breakthrough for unmanned flight powered by the Qualcomm Flight Platform.

NVIDIA announced that it is partnering with Google Cloud to establish the industry’s first AI-on-5G Innovation Lab, enabling network infrastructure players and AI software partners to develop, test and adopt solutions that will help accelerate the creation of smart cities, smart factories and other advanced 5G and AI applications.

As 5G begins to gain greater ground in today’s world, the ICT sector is beginning to realize its potential.  The possibilities, with a network like this, are unfathomable. 5G offers tremendous revenue opportunities for telcos, which include opportunities beyond the smartphone. 

Nokia has announced that Canadian startup company HaiLa, which offers technologies that can drastically reduce energy consumption for Internet of Things devices, has won the 2019 Nokia Open Innovation Challenge.

Mavenir, a US-based Network Software Provider, and the industry's only end-to-end cloud-native vendor for CSPs, announced today its 5G Core platform, which includes a comprehensive set of 5G core functions on a containerized cloud-native platform. The decomposition of functions into these modular units provides the operators the flexibility to scale them independently; scalability and flexibility that wasn’t possible with 4G EPC.

A report released by ABI Research urges telecom operators to be more aggressive with their 5G deployment in cities to leverage the new potential economic value.

US officials revealed a plan to accelerate their deployment of 5G wireless networks with new funding estimated at $20.4 billion to build high-speed internet in rural areas.

Verizon has announced that it will be launching mobile 5G services in Minneapolis and Chicago next month.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced the Snapdragon X55 5G modem, its second-generation 5G New Radio (NR) modem. Snapdragon X55 is a 7-nanometer single-chip integrated 5G to 2G multimode modem that supports 5G NR mmWave and sub-6 GHz spectrum bands with up to 7 gigabits per second (Gbps) download speeds and 3 Gbps upload speeds over 5G, and Category 22 LTE with up to 2.5 Gbps LTE download speeds.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has completed its first 5G auction, with a sale of 28GHz spectrum licensing which raised a cool $702 million.

The International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide has predicted worldwide spending of Internet of Things (IoT) will reach $745 billion in 2019.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced its next-generation modem purpose-built for Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as asset trackers, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors and smart meters, as well as a range of wearable trackers.

Bell Mobility announced a managed Internet of Things (IoT) security service that offers businesses, smart cities and other organizations employing IoT solutions with an advanced layer of comprehensive security services to detect and respond to evolving cyber threats.

The first commercial 5G network was launched in portions of Sacramento, as well as Houston, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. Built on the Verizon-led open 5G TF network standard, Verizon 5G Home is the next generation of home broadband internet service that provides super-fast Wi-Fi.

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance - which drives and guides the development of all future mobile broadband technology with a focus on 5G - has published its three deliverables on 5G Extreme Requirements entitled "Operators' views on fundamental trade-offs", "RAN Solutions", and "End-to-End considerations", respectively.

Verizon's fixed wireless access (FWA) 5G product will go live later this fall and is set to launch in four US cities: Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, the company announced live from GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas 2018. Customers living in these areas will be able to sign-up for the service from 13 September, and receive it starting 1 October.

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.

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.

A new study compiled by the International Data Corporation (IDC) has projected that global IoT spending will surpass $1.2 trillion by 2022. The comprehensive study indicates that the market will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.6% over the 2017-2022 forecast period on its way to hitting the eye-watering figure of $1.2 trillion.

The Brazilian government is continuing to aggressively pursue its ambitions to digitize the country after announcing a new initiative aimed at discovering and subsequently integrating new Internet of Things solutions into its cities.

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.

AT&T and Nokia are teaming up to provide virtually seamless Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity around the world. The companies are using Nokia's Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) to offer AT&T's enterprise customers the benefits of Nokia's global IoT ecosystem. These include core network, dedicated IoT operations, billing, security, data analytics, and more.

Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai, has outlined the blueprint which he believes will help accelerate the development and subsequent deployment of 5G networks in the US.

As they say, the third time is a charm! T-Mobile and Sprint tell us they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction at a fixed exchange ratio of 0.10256 T-Mobile shares for each Sprint share or the equivalent of 9.75 Sprint shares for each T-Mobile US share. Based on closing share prices on April 27, this represents a total implied enterprise value of approximately $59 billion for Sprint and approximately $146 billion for the combined company. The new company will have a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan with a strong foundation of secured investment grade debt at close.

An Internet of Things powered media entity, Smart City Media, has announced that it has agreed to enter into a strategic partnership with Duke Energy One that will oversee the deployment of outdoor digital technology in Louisville.

Qualcomm Technologies has launched the Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform, featuring the company's first family of system-on-chips (SoCs) purpose-built for the Internet of Things (IoT) using advanced 10nm FinFET process technology.

As technology suppliers develop the next-generation of wireless technologies, mobile operators invest in the networks of the future, and governments launch innovation programs, the early benefits of 5G will go to economies where globally aligned 5G spectrum and technology innovation is readily available.

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.

The US city of Rancho Cucamonga, which is located on the outskirts of Los Angeles, has formally announced that it has selected leading Internet of Things technology provider Echelon Corporation to overhaul its existing streetlight network infrastructure.

The chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai has condemned the alleged proposal that the US government is considering the idea of nationalising 5G by constructing its own network amidst security concerns from Chinese technology companies.

The US government's scepticism and mistrust of China has been reiterated once more following reports it is set to nationalize 5G in an effort to further protect itself from the country.  It has been claimed that the US plan to construct its own 5G network and thereby nationalise a portion of the country's mobile infrastructure.

The US city of Conway which is located in the state of Arkansas has formally announced it is set to introduce an Internet of Things platform in its efforts to become a leading 'smart city'.

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.

US telecommunications colossus AT&T has seemingly trumped its major rivals Verizon and T-Mobile US by officially announcing that it will offer 5G services for its mobile customers in a dozen or so markets later this year.

US telecommunications operator Verizon has announced that it plans to rollout 5G fixed wireless services in five major cities across the country in 2018. The development would represent the first application of 5G wireless in the United States.

US technology firm Net-Objex, an expert in Internet of Things and Blockchain has showcased a 'smart parking' payment solution described as a world first by using the IOTA decentralized network and cryptocurrency.

San Diego has accelerated its efforts to create the world's largest 'smart city' IoT sensor platform, by announcing that it has partnered with GE Current and Inseego Corp to deploy 3,200 new intelligent sensor nodes across the city.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 has formally announced that it is set to implement an advanced Internet of Things traffic management system in a bid to address and resolve the state's on-going problems with urban congestion.

Ericsson has extended its 20-year strategic partnership with Entel, the largest telecommunications company in Chile. Under the terms of the new contract, Ericsson will prepare Entel's network in the evolution path towards 5G by deploying its latest LTE FDD network technologies and LTE TDD Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output).

At Mobile World Congress Americas, US telecom provider Sprint and Ericsson unveiled the results of the first US 2.5GHz Massive MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) field tests conducted in Seattle, Washington and Plano, Texas using Sprint's spectrum and Ericsson's 64T64R (64 transmit, 64 receive) radios.

Chinese 'smart bike' sharing service Mobike has announced that it will use IoT technology solutions from US chipmaker Qualcomm and telecommunications colossus AT&T in a bid to accelerate its expansion plans in the United States.

US wireless infrastructure provider American Tower Corporation and Philips Lighting have formally announced that they will collaborate and combine their expertise in an effort to co-develop a 'smart light pole' - that will improve wireless connectivity in dense urban areas.

US multinational corporation and technology colossus Intel has announced that it is hopeful that it will be in a position to deploy 5G services before 2020. Intel has declared that its 5G Mobile Trial Platform will begin to support standalone new radio (NR) standard when it becomes available later this year. A spokesman for the US conglomerate also claimed it was an 'industry first'.

T-Mobile, Qualcomm and Nokia achieved an industry first by exceeding Gigabit speeds using evolved, commercially-available 4G LTE. In tests at T-Mobile's lab in early September, download speeds of 1.175Gbps were achieved on T-Mobile's LTE network utilizing Nokia's 4.9G network powered by the Nokia AirScale Base Station and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X20 LTE modem.

US cable incumbent Comcast Corp has been forced to revise its strategy as more and more US consumers either discontinue their cable services - or opt for cheaper alternatives. The emergence of OTT players such as Netflix and Amazon have also added significantly to the increasing pressure on traditional cable companies.

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.

Indianapolis has been named as the most 'connected city' in the United States. The state is recognized as a continued leader identified when it comes to embracing technology and innovation in order to bridge the 'digital divide'.

Qualcomm Technologies, Verizon and Ericsson together successfully surpassed the Gigabit speed barrier, Ericsson said in a statement on August 21. The companies achieved an industry first with commercial silicon and network infrastructure with 1.07Gbps download speeds using Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 LTE Modem, the first to support Category 18 LTE, during an Ericsson lab trial.

In a US wireless industry first, Verizon, Ericsson, and Qualcomm Technologies announced on August 2 they reached 953 Mbps (just under 1 gigabit per second) in a joint commercial network deployment in Boca Raton, Florida. While lab tests have shown comparable speeds in recent months, this is the fastest announced speed achieved in a real-world, dynamic network environment leveraging Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology.

The Brazilian government has announced that it has defined its priority areas for the application of Internet of Things, as the public policies and legislation around the technologies begin to shape. Authorities have targeted smart cities, health and agriculture as the main target areas for digital transformation.

Spanish telecom giant Telefónica and Huawei have announced the opening of an Open IoT Lab to work on the development of products and applications related to Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technology.

Bell, Canada's largest communications company, announced it will launch an LTE-M (Long Term Evolution, category M1) network to support the rapidly increasing use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices on low-power, wide-area networks (LPWANs) in Canada.

A new report conducted by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) has found that the Internet of Things will make the Canadian telecommunications sector much more efficient - and claimed that the industry is competitive in comparison to other markets on a global basis.

American telecommunications conglomerate Comcast Corp have launched a new cloud-based service that allows users to control, manage and monitor its Wi-Fi usage. Comcast Corp which is the largest cable provider in the United States has launched the new services in an attempt to boost consumer loyalty in its broadband business.

The State of Illinois has announced an exciting partnership with the IoT Talent Consortium to deliver an education curricula specifically designed to enhance Illinois' goal of transforming into a 'smart state' by utilizing advanced technologies in order to deliver better services more efficiently. The new collaboration will offer an affordable, state-of-the-art option for individuals with a desire to work in the IT industry. It is hoped that the new educational initiative will provide the perfect mechanism to ensure a pipeline of precocious talent in Illinois.

A leading secure application services company - are aiming to combat the security concerns of service providers by introducing a new firewall solution which can pave a secure path to 5G and proliferation of the Internet of Things.

A US telecommunications colossus has made an exciting announcement in relation to a major pilot program it is set to embark on later this year. Verizon is set to offer fixed wireless '5G' services in 11 markets by the end of June. The pilot program is aimed at defining the parameters for 5G specifications in advance of future standards and will be based on Verizon's 5G Technology Forum (5GTF) which includes heavyweights such as Qualcomm, Cisco, Ericsson, Samsung and Intel.

A Brazilian telecom operator has disclosed its intentions to launch a 'Smart Cities' platform that will be targeted at both public and private sector. Brazilian company Oi, formerly known as Telemar, is the largest telecommunications company in Brazil and South America and is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro.

Google has announced its plans to launch voice-activated shopping from its artificial intelligence-powered home speaker, which analysts have suggested represents a direct response to the success of Amazon's Alexa.

US tech giants Microsoft have revealed that its virtual assistant will help you remember and ensure you never forget to do anything you promised you would do!  Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana can now hold people to their promises, well in an e-mail capacity that is!

One of America's largest telecommunications conglomerates officially announced the cities in which it will initiate its 5G rollout campaign. AT&T will launch its 5G campaign in the US cities of Austin and Indianapolis. AT&T have named the high-speed network plans as the '5G Evolution' and has indicated that it will we able to provide top speeds of up to 400Mbps - which to put that into context is around 40 times faster than a standard cellular data connection.

Apple has joined a technology industry alliance which aims to establish the best practices for the opportunities and challenges faced within the field of AI. Apple joins Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM and Google-owned British AI firm DeepMind who last year established the non-profit organization which they called 'Partnership on AI'.

Oregon is set to launch Sunstone Solar, the largest solar-plus-storage facility in the United States, marking the state’s significant move towards clean energy.

Newark, Delaware has been awarded a USD 590,949 federal grant by the United States Department of Transportation, allowing the city to significantly expand its electric vehicle (EV) and e-bike charging infrastructures.

The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) has selected TCR, a global leader in ground support equipment (GSE) solutions, to provide an all-electric GSE fleet at the new world-class international gateway for JFK Airport, scheduled to open in 2026.

New Orleans has been granted a USD 9.3 million federal grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program, significantly boosting the city’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

In a significant move to improve infrastructure and address real-world challenges, particularly in water distribution systems, Fort Myers plans to leverage artificial intelligence (AI).

The groundbreaking community solar project, Sunset Park Solar, is set to revolutionize Brooklyn, New York, aiming to reduce excessive air pollution and create climate resiliency in the neighborhood.

US billionaire Marc Lore has unveiled his vision for ‘new city in America’, funding it with $400 billion. He appointed a world-famous architect to design it and to search for a suitable location.

AT&T and JBG SMITH, an S&P 400 company that develops a dynamic portfolio of high-growth mixed-use properties in and around Washington, DC, have entered into a letter of intent to deliver the first 5G smart city at scale in National Landing, Virginia’s largest downtown area. 

The US city of Austin in central Texas has launched a mobile app to better prepare citizens for natural disasters and other emergencies, including COVID-19 updates.

Rio de Janeiro and Bogotá have announced their plans to join the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration in an effort to meet the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines for cleaner air.

Central Hudson Gas & Electric and Orange & Rockland, New York-based utility providers, have announced the piloting of an electric vehicle (EV) program for their customers residing in the Hudson Valley.

The telecommunications sector has always been at the forefront of innovation in the way that it has been connecting people and driving digital transformation in other industries for decades. Telcos have helped businesses all over the world to comprehend and unlock their full potential through digitalization. It has a proven track-record of being the ultimate key enabler in advancing the commercial world into the fourth industrial revolution.

The US’s largest 314 cities are reportedly converting to LED street lighting, highlighting the increased interest in smart and connecting street lights.

San Antonio has founded the “R&D League” in partnership with Southwest Research Institute, the United Services Automobile Association and the University of Texas to help residents via technology.

From intelligent homes to connected devices being applied to several industries and aspects of our lives, we are currently experiencing one of the most prominent industrial revolutions the world has ever seen: the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Planet Smart City, the global leader in smart affordable housing, is pleased to announce its partnership with Brazilian real-estate specialist InLoop and the subsequent development of more than 2,250 high-quality, low cost apartments in São Paulo, the largest city in the Americas by population.

Nokia and Innventure, which commercializes innovative technologies, have established a relationship designed to accelerate commercialization of disruptive Nokia Bell Labs satellite communications technology and intellectual property in areas beyond Nokia core businesses. The collaboration with Innventure will be led by Nokia Technologies, the company's licensing arm.

Nokia has announced a partnership with SENAI-SP (Brazil’s National Service for Industrial Training) to implement its portfolio of technology and connectivity solutions at SENAI-SP’s lab in São Caetano do Sul, a well-known facility for mechatronics training that features an Industry 4.0 factory.

Mellanox Technologies, Ltd, a leading supplier of high-performance, end-to-end smart interconnect solutions for data center servers and storage systems, has introduced ConnectX-6 Dx and BlueField-2 – next-generation cloud SmartNICs and I/O Processing Unit (IPU) solutions.

TIM Brazil has selected Nokia AirFrame servers featuring new, 2nd generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors to virtualize its datacenters by the end of 2021.

Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google parent-company Alphabet Inc., officially unveiled its plan for a massive technology-driven neighborhood on Toronto's waterfront that it hopes will become a blueprint for the future, but which has already generated controversy.

Smart City Natal is a development by Planet Smart City, a smart affordable housing company, which has integrated digital, architectural, social and environmental innovation.

Tech heavyweights like Google, Facebook and Microsoft have invested in AI research and development in Canada and most recently, Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson announced the launch of its “global artificial intelligence accelerator” in Montreal. The specialized lab will focus on “using AI and automation technologies to create data-driven, intelligent products and services” - work that will specifically impact 5G networks, the company said.

US technology behemoth Google has announced that it will spend $13bn in expanding its US data centre network.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it will invest $3.2m to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in an effort to assist in the scaling of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure that connects to the grid.

The sun-drenched city of Miami has been named as the world's leading city when it comes to implementing smart connected streetlights. Miami beat-off stiff competition from European cities Paris and Madrid to take top spot.

US technology colossus Google is courting controversy in Toronto over its plans to construct a new digital city in Toronto's Eastern waterfront, in a regeneration project described as being a model of 21st century urbanism.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has announced that it is set to commence on a pilot of a 'smart restroom' program in one if its terminal buildings. It will become the first airport in the world to install a restroom traffic management system that has been specifically designed to improve the cleanliness and flow of passenger movement in public restrooms at busy airports.

A plan by US technology colossus Google to construct a 'smart city' on Toronto's waterfront has sparked row, with many locals expressing their frustration at the lack of transparency in relation to the project. A few months ago, Google's Sidewalk Labs announced intentions to construct a 'smart city' on the Canadian city's famous waterfront.

US telecommunications colossus AT&T is reportedly mulling over a move to launch wireless services in Brazil.

The first line of South Korean telecom provider KT's innovative 'GiGa Wire' technology has been installed in the United States. The technology can get internet speeds of up to 1Gbps, with plain copper wire and without any fiber-optic cable. KT signed an MoU with the city of Boston, Massachusetts, in June, for the implementation of the new technology.

A US city has announced that it will introduce 'smart city' technology in a bid to transform the safety of its road infrastructure. Officials in the City of Atlanta have confirmed that technology developed by US firm Applied Information (AI) will be deployed across the city in an effort to connect traffic signals, emergency vehicles and school zone safety flashers to the Internet of Things.

The Californian cities of Berkeley and Palm Springs have announced that it will take its first steps towards implementing its 'smart city' infrastructures after reaching an agreement with 5 Bars Communities, which is a dba of XG Communities.

T-Mobile recently announced plans to roll-out its new 600MHz LTE network in the US, leveraging the massive haul of super-premium low-band spectrum the operator won in the government broadcast incentive auction concluded earlier this year. The announcement came just two months after the company received its spectrum licenses from the FCC.

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.

Electronics conglomerate Panasonic has claimed its 'smart city' platform will end traffic congestion in Colorado. Panasonic officially announced that it had entered into a collaboration agreement with Transit-Screen, which is a manufacturer of real-time displays.

Alaskan internet service provider (ISP) OptimERA is leveraging satellite operator SES Networks' new managed infrastructure service and a full 72MHz transponder to significantly improve broadband connectivity speed 10-fold throughout the remote port city of Unalaska, and neighboring towns and islands across Southwest Alaska.

Deep Blue Cable announced it has contracted TE SubCom to build and deploy the Deep Blue subsea cable system. The pan-Caribbean system design spans nearly 12,000km with initial landing points in 12 markets throughout the region, including the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turks & Caicos Islands, with dual diverse landings in the U.S., which will include the first landing of a cable on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Luxembourg-based satellite company Intelsat recently announced a managed services solution that will provide 2G services in remote locations of Africa.  The solution leverages contributions of services provider BCom and technology provider Newtec for core components of the solution.

Las Vegas, one of the world's most iconic and famous cities has accelerated its efforts to become a 'smart city' by entering into a partnership agreement with US technology firm Cisco Systems. Las Vegas, referred to by some as 'Sin City' - brokered an agreement with the US networking colossus as it looks to achieve its ambition which is to become a 'smart connected city'.

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.

Social media networking colossus Facebook has vowed to begin constructing homes in an attempt to alleviate the housing problem which has plagued Silicon Valley. Facebook, which is headquartered in the technological hub of the US, has announced that it plans to build 1,500 units - which will be located near its HQ.

T-Mobile announced on June 26 it had completed the United States' first mobile broadband data session live in the field using License Assisted Access (LAA) on its commercial network. The field testing, which began in Los Angeles, showed blazing 741 Mbps download speeds using 80 MHz of aggregated spectrum.

US technology giants Microsoft has made a number of exciting announcements at Smart Cities NYC 17 that are set to revolutionize the smart city sector. However, one announcement in particular struck a chord with many - and that was Microsoft's revelation that it has created a new accessibility toolkit specifically designed to help city officials, architects and urban planners design cities which would have inclusive features aimed at assisting people with disabilities.

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 Mayor of Panama has declared his pride that the capital of Panama is Latin America's first 'smart city'. The global movement towards smart cities has been described as a phenomenon and South America has been slower than other continents in terms of embracing such a transformation. Cities all over the world are evolving as leaders attempt to shape a city that ultimately improves the lives of its residents.

US telecoms giant AT&T is working with Maxwell Air Force Base, officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command, to bring the power of IoT to their base operations and infrastructure.

Montreal has received an investment of $854m from Bell in order to implement the fastest broadband fiber technology directly to homes and businesses across the city. This investment is expected to create an estimated 2,700 new jobs and generate $2.2bn in economic activity. The incredible new infrastructure will provide direct links to 1.1 million residences and business locations - and will firmly place Monteal at the forefront of the global 'Smart Cities' movement.

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.

Customers at a leading American financial institution can now withdraw money from an ATM by using their smartphone. Wells Fargo have introduced card-less ATMs across the US in a massive digital push. Depositors from Well Fargo can extract cash from any of its branded ATMs - which is another indicative measure of US lenders desire to move away from traditional forms of banking into a new era of digitization.

Apple employees are set to fulfill the vision of late founder Steve Jobs by moving into their futuristic new 'spaceship' campus in Silicon Valley. Apple employs are 12,000 people- so workers will embark on a gradual process of transitioning from its old HQ to the new campus throughout the year. The first number of employees to board the spaceship campus is expected to take place in April. Jobs envisioned the futuristic headquarters as a 'center for creativity and collaboration' and a theatre on the new Apple Park has been named in honor of the inventor who transformed Apple into the biggest technology companies in the world. Jobs sadly passed away in 2011 aged just 56.

AT&T joined with Current, powered by GE, and Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power to test intelligent lighting solutions in Atlanta. The Atlanta smart city project adds momentum to the growing smart city movement in progress across the U.S.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a strategic USD 310 billion State Rail Plan to establish a fully connected, zero-emission passenger rail network by 2050, revolutionizing the state’s transportation infrastructure.

The Michigan State Police (MSP) has introduced its first battery electric vehicle (EV) to its patrol fleet, a significant step towards sustainable law enforcement.

The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) recently released new updates on the progress of Austin’s first light rail system, including key recommendations to enhance its future functionality.

Manta M4, a groundbreaking electric flying vehicle developed by SimTech Labs, is set to revolutionize aerial mobility by enabling take-off from both land and sea.

In a significant step towards expanding access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, San Francisco has entered the next phase of the city’s Curbside EV Charging Pilot Program by advancing proposals from EV charging companies.

Apple's efforts to produce self-driving cars have failed to pick up steam owing to a lack of team coordination and the blurring of leadership goals, even as rival companies steadily enter the autonomous car market.

The US Federal Communications Commission has authorized Elon Musk's SpaceX to use its Starlink satellite internet network with moving vehicles including ships, airlines and road transporters.

NTT and Clark County, Nevada have agreed to deploy NTT Smart Solutions for smart park initiatives.

Intel said it is supplying self-driving systems to Silicon Valley startup Udelv, which plans to have a fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles in action within two years.

SpaceX is seeking regulatory approval from the FCC to connect its Starlink satellites to trucks, shipping boats, aircraft, and RV’s. This request marks SpaceX’s biggest step yet toward connecting Starlink to the automotive sector, a step which could significantly expand its business.

Just months after the world’s first hyperloop passenger testing, Virgin Hyperloop announced that the passenger-carrying vehicle, dubbed “Pegasus,” will be making its public debut at the Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building in November 2021. Previously, the Building has showcased world-changing inventions like Edison’s lightbulb, the first telephones, and Apollo rockets.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Visteon Corporation and connected car technology leader ECARX and announced an initiative to develop intelligent cockpit solutions across conventional and electric vehicle applications.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and General Motors (GM) on Tuesday announced their collaboration to deliver premium experiences to upcoming vehicles.  Building on the companies’ long-standing relationship spanning across multiple cellular technology generations, the companies will use their expertise to feature highly advanced technologies needed for next generation vehicles. Through this relationship, Qualcomm Technologies is working with GM to power digital cockpits, next generation telematics systems and future advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), to meet the evolving needs of providing best-in-class experiences for consumers.

Toronto has launched an on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging station pilot in cooperation with the electric utility Toronto Hydro.

Florida’s Department of Transportation (FDOT) has rewarded a smart mobility infrastructure company a contract worth $5m to improve traffic flow in Tampa.

Amazon has announced the expansion of its robot delivery field tests to two new locations in the United States: Atlanta, Georgia and Franklin, Tennessee.

Moovit, the mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solutions firm, has launched Way Finder which features the use of augmented reality (AR) to help users better locate stations and stops. 

Segway has launched the S-Pod, a new self-balancing two-wheeler wheelchair which moves at a speed of up to 24 miles per hour.

Uber said it has acquired computer vision startup Mighty AI to help advance its technology for self-driving cars.

Aurora, the autonomous vehicle technology startup, has signed a deal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to create autonomous commercial vehicles.

Amazon said it expects to begin large-scale deliveries by drone in the coming months as it unveiled its newest design for its “Prime Air” fleet.

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.

US e-commerce behemoth Amazon is offering employees a $10,000 pay-off to become independent package delivery entrepreneurs in an effort to help accelerate the company’s efforts to control its own logistics.  

In Florida, the senate passed a unanimous bill that would allow companies like Uber, Lyft and General Motors to start deploying autonomous vehicles however safety advocates have said that the state’s decision was rushed.

Global ride-hailing firm Uber has projected a more measured valuation ahead of its IPO debut on the New York Stock Exchange later this week.

A US aviation firm has secured a major victory after being certified by the Federal Aviation Authority to become the first drone operator in the world to be officially recognized as an airline.

Tesla has announced that self-driving “robo-taxis” will be available by 2020 as it revealed its new and upgraded tech for autonomous vehicles.

According to some experts who gathered earlier this week in Texas for the South by Southwest Festival, flying taxis may indeed become a reality soon and they are expected to be available by 2025.

Toyota and NVIDIA are working together and using each others’ resources and research facilities to better their program for autonomous vehicle development. 

Uber will not be held accountable for a car crash from one of their autonomous vehicles that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg in the United States.

US e-commerce behemoth Amazon has become the latest technology leader to join the self-driving race following its decision to invest $700m in an electric vehicle startup company.

US technology leader Apple has announced that it is cutting back on its dedicated self-driving team. However, it declared that it was remaining in the race to deploy autonomous vehicles.

US airplane manufacturer Boeing has confirmed that its prototype ‘flying car’ - which is part of their ambitious project to provide on-demand autonomous air transportation has completed its first successful test flight.

Advocacy groups representing the elderly and the blind joined automotive and tech firms to launch an educational campaign to explain the benefits of self-driving cars.

Food delivery service DoorDash announced it is teaming up with General Motors to test using self-driving cars to deliver meals and groceries in San Francisco. A pilot program with the US automaker's Cruise Automation division will start in March, according to the San Francisco-based startup launched in 2013 by Stanford University students.

Uber are to resume testing their self-driving cars in Arizona after seeking permission from authorities to restart the program.

Billionaire Elon Musk has unveiled a 1.14 mile (1.8 kilometer) sample tunnel that he hopes will solve the problem of traffic congestion in California.

Google have announced they are partnering with bike rental company Lime.

BlackBerry has launched a security credential management system (SCMS) that will provide a mechanism for vehicles, infrastructure and traffic management centres to exchange information using digital certificates. It is based on BlackBerry’s own Certicom technology and offers a secure and reliable hosted public key infrastructure (PKI), managing certificates on behalf of an organisation or an entire ecosystem.

Commuters in LA will now have increased flexibility in how they choose to pay for travel, thanks to the new TAPforce smart card system.

South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is the founder and CEO of electric car manufacturing behemoth Tesla, has been forced to stepdown as chairman of the company - and ordered to pay $20 million after reaching an agreement with the SEC.

US technology behemoth Apple has suffered a setback in its effort to lead the global movement towards a future of autonomous driving during testing of its self-driving program in California.

US ride-hailing platform Lyft has announced that it will assist voters in the forthcoming mid-term elections in November by offering FREE rides and discounted promotions in an effort to encourage and increase voter turnout.

One of the world's most iconic cities has voted overwhelmingly to reduce the number of licenses issued for ride-hailing firms such as Uber and Lyft.

A US startup that is developing a supersonic rail transit system which it claims will represent the future of public transportation, has announced that it will construct a research center worth $500m in Spain. Virgin Hyperloop One reached an agreement with Spanish state-owned rail infrastructure firm ADIF after a series of protracted talks.

Uber said it was taking the first step toward restarting its autonomous ridesharing program, putting its self-driving cars back on the road in "manual mode" with a driver at the wheel at all times.

Uber made a move into electric scooters, as the ride-service giant agreed to a strategic partnership with Lime, one of the major players in the fast-growing segment.

US ridesharing giant Lyft announced it was acquiring bikesharing operator Motivate as it ramps up efforts against rival Uber in alternative forms of transportation. Terms of the deal were not announced for Motivate, which operates bike programs in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington and elsewhere.

Ford Motor Company announces as part of its 19th annual Sustainability Report it has met its goal to reduce manufacturing emissions – eight years ahead of schedule.

Smartphone-summoned ride service Lyft announced it is raising $600 million in a funding round that values the Uber competitor at $15.1 billion. The financing round is being led by Fidelity Management & Research Company, and has been joined by Senator Investment Group.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has unveiled its digital playbook aimed at addressing the urban mobility issues that have long plagued the sun-drenched city. The LADOT launched it Urban Mobility in a Digital Age Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) after months of speculation regarding the program.

South African entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed that Chicago looks set to become the first city in the United States to adopt his futuristic concept for mass transit. Tesla CEO Musk is the head of the futuristic transportation company entitled The Boring Company

Google's self-driving firm Waymo has announced that it is expanding its operations by adding 62,000 Fiat Chrysler minivans to its autonomous fleet in a collaboration agreement jointly announced by the two companies.

A Japanese conglomerate has announced that it will make an investment of $2.25bn in US car manufacturing colossus General Motors. Telecommunications giant SoftBank will invest the capital in GM's autonomous car program in exchange for a stake in the ambitious mobility venture.

Research conducted in the United States is projecting that the sales of autonomous vehicles is set to explode exponentially in the next eight years. The increase in sales is expected to be primarily propelled by aggressive investment from the likes of Google subsidiary Waymo.

The US city of Columbus has officially unveiled its new operating system that will harness transportation data that will then be utilized in order to tackle the city's ongoing issues with urban mobility.

Tesla CEO and SpaceX co-founder Elon Musk has passionately defended self-driving technology despite the fact it has come under intense scrutiny following a number of fatalities where vehicles where in self-driving or autopilot mode.

Uber has unveiled at the second annual Uber Elevate Summit in Los Angeles, a new prototype vehicle showing off its vision of the future of transportation; a "flying taxi" that aims to alleviate urban congestion. eVTOL, Uber's electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle concept is a cross between a helicopter and a drone.

A US road safety body has issued a call for the federal government to introduce tougher regulations and standards in relation to autonomous driving following two recent fatalities which occurred on US roads in the past fortnight.

The global movement towards the mass deployment of autonomous and electric vehicles was once again criticized following the fatal collision involving an electric Tesla Model X vehicle in the US.