Executive summary

Examples abound of cities around the world doing something clever with technology – installing thousands of sensors , hundreds of solar panels or dozens of rooftop farms – and putting a ‘ Smart City ’ label on it . While some of these initiatives have achieved a degree of success , most haven ’ t lived up to the hype .

With the alarming acceleration in catastrophic weather events , natural disasters and global health emergencies , there ’ s no question cities need what some might call ‘ more smarts .’ From their sheer density to their often aging infrastructures , cities ’ vulnerabilities are plentiful and must be addressed . challenges and opportunities but also those of tomorrow .

Beyond being smart , then , cities need to be future-ready . Becoming a future-ready city requires building the foundation to be resilient in the face of both predictable and unpredictable challenges and adapting to fast-changing social and economic situations .

It ’ s clear that 5G will play a big role in achieving a future-ready vision . This technology ’ s ultra-low latency , blazing speeds , extra-large bandwidth and fail-proof reliability promise to breathe new life into the technology capabilities cities now rely on and deliver enormous improvements in quality of life .

But while making the best use of technology is essential , it ’ s not enough . In recent research co-sponsored by Cognizant , we found the city of the future will need more than 5G and a wide range of other technologies . It will require strong ecosystems of local governments , infrastructure providers ( telcos ) and integrators ( tech partners ). The study also found , however , that today , well-functioning ecosystems are few and far between . Also lacking are sophisticated capabilities to not just create high-quality data but also to manage , share , protect and make that data actionable . Survey respondents are feeling the brunt of these shortcomings .

The study , conducted by ThoughtLab , surveyed 200 city officials from around

The increasingly widespread availability of 5G has made the concept of a Smart City more of a reality than ever before . But while cities are called to deliver what Smart City visionaries have long promised – economic opportunity , high-quality education and healthcare , clean air , safe streets , a rich cultural life and an efficient transportation system – they must do so while considering not just today ’ s

The increasingly widespread availability of 5G has made the concept of a Smart City more of a reality than ever before .

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