Hong-Kong professor Dr. Winnie Tang has launched her highly-acclaimed Smart City 3.0 e-book which attempts to examine and establish the role played by Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Robotics and the sharing economy in the development and future evolution of smart cities on a global basis.
An Australian business delegation has announced its interest in investing and exploring potential opportunities that may arise from India’s nationwide ‘smart cities’ program. The business consortium is made up of 35 members - and they flew in India this week to meet with those tasked with the responsibility of leading the smart cities initiative.
The Taiwan 5G Alliance – linking together more than 40 corporations and organizations from the government, academia, and research sectors – aims to launch pre-commercial 5G networks in 2020 with the vision of building a world-class 5G industry chain in Taiwan that is at the forefront of global development and commercial deployment.
India’s Supreme Court has delivered a landmark decision that could have severe repercussions for Modi’s ‘smart cities’ program which aims to transform many of India’s cities and bring them into the ‘digital age’.
Chinese telecommunications colossus Huawei has announced that it has signed a MoU with German city Duisburg in a collaborative effort to develop and subsequently implement a smart city strategy within the city.
China has announced a new set of regulations it will introduce as it intensifies its campaign against anonymous users. The country already has a reputation for imposing some of the strictest policies in relation to internet freedom and censorship. However, China’s top internet censor is now being granted access to delete posts by anonymous users on any internet forum or platform.
Hong Kong has released its smart city blueprint following months of consultations and recommendations as part of its efforts to become a world-class smart city. It has been announced that a dedicated Smart City Office will be established in the Innovation and Technology Bureau which will oversee, manage and coordinate the progress and effectiveness of smart city projects initiated by the department in Hong Kong.
India’s government is currently examining ways in which it can reduce the growing problem of urban congestion in major cities across the country. The government has formed a federal think-tank, which is chaired by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minsiter Modi has previously called for reduced car ownership and believes the use of private vehicles as shared taxis could be the ideal solution to India’s traffic woes.
WeGO is an organization that is focused on sustainable urban development through e-government, ICT and smart cities. Can you highlight some of the major projects WeGO has been involved in over the last 12 months?
This year, WeGO held our 4th General Assembly in Russia. The General Assembly is held every three years and is the top decision-making body of WeGO. It brings together mayors, chief information officers and high-level public officials from all WeGO member cities as well as thought leaders and partners from all over the world and serves as an important international platform for cities to become smart sustainable cities, to share knowledge and to forge new partnerships. The 4th WeGO General Assembly was a great success, gathering over 400 urban leaders from 112 cities and local governments.
The Indonesian government and Google have finally resolved its long-running dispute over allegations that the US technology colossus had avoided paying millions of dollars in taxes. Indonesia’s Finance Minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati has confirmed that an agreement has been brokered, but revealed that the figure agree will not be disclosed. The Indonesian Finance Minister said: “We already have an agreement with them based on the 2016 annual tax return form, but we can’t disclose the figure.”
