ICT maturity determines the smart cities of 2014

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: ICT has an interesting nature: both a service and a business in itself, it is also a means for society to allow new ideas to prosper and new, more efficient approaches to be developed. This multiple nature calls for new frameworks that give us a more complete view of its potential and allow us to realize these benefits. Ericsson released 2014 Networked Society City Index, ranking cities by ICT maturity. Nine cities have been added to the 2014 edition of the Networked Society City Index report. The index ranks 40 cities and measures their ICT maturity in terms of leverage from ICT investments in economic, social and environmental development: the ‘triple bottom line’ effect.

One of the findings is that cities with low ICT maturity are improving their ICT maturity faster than high performing cities. This indicates a catch-up effect, and a potential for cities to leapfrog by moving straight into innovative applications using advanced mobile technology.

The top five cities (Stockholm, London, Paris, Singapore and Copenhagen) remain the same, though Paris has now surpassed Singapore to take the number three slot. The nine new cities have been added in this year’s report are Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Athens, Rome, Warsaw, Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Among these, Munich enjoys the highest ranking, followed by Berlin and Barcelona.

Also new in this year’s report is the inclusion of three predictions about the urban future derived from new technology and ICT solutions and applications:

1. The growth of Smart citizens: People rather than institutions will drive urban progress to a larger extent, with more open public services and governance approaches characterizing this power shift.
2. Redefined GDP: By moving toward a more collaborative and sharing economy, ICT solutions will provide opportunities to create more value from fewer resources, therefore necessitating an adjustment of GDP to mirror the values important for a sustainable society.
3. Power of collaboration: Tomorrow’s networking organizations will be more flexible and efficient thanks to collaboration. Therefore the prevailing conditions of city management will also evolve, requiring changes in legislation and governance.

Monika Byléhn, Networked Society Evangelist and driver of City Life at Ericsson, explains the importance of ICT in the development of cities: “Today, we are seeing so many new opportunities which are more or less provided by ICT. The way that cities are lead is increasingly built on ICT to provide efficiency and innovation, in basically all areas of a city, from health care to transport to utilities.”

Patrik Regårdh, Head of Ericsson's Networked Society Lab, adds: “Cities will be the major arena in which ICT can bring solutions for economic, social, and sustainable growth. As a leader in ICT development, solutions and implementation, Ericsson is playing a major role in realizing the Networked Society and paving the way for more efficient, effective cities.”

In addition to the top-three ranking cities, Stockholm, London and Paris, the following cities are also part of the index: Abu Dhabi, Athens, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dhaka, Dubai, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Lagos, Los Angeles, Manila, Mexico City, Miami, Moscow, Muscat, Mumbai, Munich, New York, Oslo, Rome, São Paolo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and Warsaw.

The 40 cities included in the report can be explored in depth with the interactive City Index tool.