UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY IN THE CITIES OF TOMORROWTelecommunications service providers are not playing a primary role in smart city projects, even though they have strengths and assets that can be leveraged to create the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure that enables smart city environments. Telecom networks are, in many cases, essential to realize the objectives of the other industries driving the development of a smart city, and machine-to-machine (M2M) and machineto-machine-to-human (M2M2H) communications technologies (also known as the Internet of Things) are basic requirements for an effective smart city.But service providers tend to take a reactive, back seat role in the smart city development process. Their involvement remains limited, which means they run the risk of having to compete with utilities, cable companies, and other types of service providers, to provide ICT services. By leveraging their assets in a proactive way and partnering with the key players in a smart city project, service providers can change their role from that of facilitators of other industry objectives, to that of strategic partners of the key industries and governments involved in each project.