Novel advancements in the Internet of Things have paved the way for new possibilities, representing a set of key enabling technologies for smart cities and allowing the production and automation of innovative services and advanced applications for the different city stakeholders. However, we still need to broaden the scope and shift from smart cities to smart communities that will enable a new generation of dynamic rural ecosystems of innovation chains, applications and services to improve public safety, energy efficiency, sustainability, and overall quality of life for rural areas.

This session will showcase the new challenges for increasing connectivity and delivering a digital environment of smart objects and interoperable service platforms that are able to contribute to increase economic growth, to create employment in rural areas and to tackle significant societal challenges. A key aspect in this scenario is to overcome the digital divide between rural and urban areas and to develop the potential offered by increased connectivity and digitization of rural areas.