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.

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.

A consortium of businesses led by Ericsson have been tasked with the responsibility of leading an innovative 5G CAR project - with the primary aim to develop an overall 5G system architecture that provides optimized end-to-end vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network connectivity for highly reliable and low-latency V2X services.

Fiat Chrysler has become the latest car manufacturer to throw its weight behind the development of autonomous vehicles - after it was formally announced that it would join an existing consortium that includes BMW, Intel and Mobileye.

A leading-German car manufacturer has announced that it has invested €25m into a firm that specializes in producing 'flying taxis'. Daimler AG is one of a number of organizations who has decided to invest in German start-up company Volocopter.

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.