The latest study from the research company states that the global smart cities market size is expected to reach USD 463.9 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 24.7% from 2020 to 2027.
Smart cities address a diverse set of problems, such as efficient transportation, smart and enhanced buildings and homes, optimum energy utilisation, and better administrative services. The increasing adoption of novel technologies that complement the management of cities in the future is also a major catalyst for the market growth. The market would also benefit from initiatives taken by national and regional governments, residents, and local businesses to implement projects and tend toward cities’ problems.
The smart city market encompasses several sectors such as healthcare, transport, water, assisted living, security, and energy and their implementation varies from city to city due to the technological penetration in the region. The high amount of initial financial investments, need for the consolidation of different departments and sectors, and lack of a systemic approach may have a negative impact on the industry growth according to the analysts. Nevertheless, the market is anticipated to grow rapidly in the coming years, which would be driven by the availability of technology and an all-inclusive participation of industry stakeholders.
Other findings from the study suggest communication infrastructure and web-based services are anticipated to play a major role towards the global adoption of this type of solution. The inevitable consolidation of services, infrastructure, data, and sensors would significantly help adopt advanced solutions for these cities. The major hindrance in the adoption and implementation of these technologies include concerns regarding the privacy and security of data
Attempts have also been made at developing consortia to support and standardise the market globally; however, this is limited to certain regions and application areas due to the lack of a systemic approach.
The industry is witnessing different forms of investment scenarios, such as Build Operate Transfer (BOT), Build Operate Manage (BOM), and Build Operate Own (BOO), which are gaining traction as the major financial funding measures for these cities. The BOM model for investment and management is gaining popularity due to ease of operation and control over the infrastructure that it offers to interested parties
The smart cities market is dominated by major heavyweight companies such as ABB; Cisco; Schneider; Siemens; IBM; GEC; Microsoft; Hitachi; Honeywell; Intel; Oracle; Huawei; and Johnson Controls. The industry is also marked with a growing number of collaborations between governments and companies to develop and implement pilot projects.