Cities are beginning to invest in stronger, more resilient and flexible technology infrastructure. Whether the purpose is to improve local authorities’ engagement with their communities, from waste collection to social care or even shared economy platforms, the need for connectivity is pervasive. The internet of things plays, and will continue to play, an increasingly important role within our cities as they move to a higher level of sensory equipment being retrofitted into our buildings and the space around us. Whether projects are undertaken in the Middle East, Europe or Asia, one factor has been key to their successful planning and execution: a highly integrated telecoms and fibre network that is future-proofed to deal with the ever-increasing demands technology and society will place on it. Smart cities enhance quality of life through the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) within the infrastructure framework. On successful implementation, smart cities will not only boost commercial and capital investments but will be the best approach for reducing the tremendous strain on present day infrastructure. The success of large-scale projects – and the delivery of the expected output for citizens – therefore rely on the successful planning of authorities and, where relevant, the adoption of the appropriate regulations likely to foster innovation and development, in particular in relation to the sourcing and roll-out of appropriate ICT services. Whereas, at a local scale, issues arising out of cities’ transformation may be focusing on funding, financing, planning and procurement, more global and regulatory issues arise once clear development policies are devised, in particular in: relation to; (1) spectrum management and allocation (2) fostering competition on the market (especially where operators do not all have the same network footprint); and (3) guiding future users, authorities and other city stakeholders in handling the vast amount of data they will necessarily collect and process. Using the current examples of smart city projects around the world, and building on the conclusions that may be drawn from those, this session will explore in further detail why communication law concerns have a core impact in successfully developing smart cities and paving the way for businesses to invest in and contribute to the community.