Singapore was declared the smartest city in the world by Swiss business school IMD and the Singapore University of Technology and Design this year. They ranked cities in terms of how "smart" they are, defining smartness as an urban setting that applies technology to enhance the benefits and diminish the shortcomings of urbanisation. Their survey findings were derived from the perceptions of citizens regarding two pillars: structures, or the city's existing infrastructure; and technology, which refers to the technological provisions and services available to residents. The survey underscored Singapore's success in developing itself as a Smart Nation which is focused on the concrete needs of citizens and businesses.

The challenge, however, lies in bringing Singaporeans themselves fully on board the Smart Nation journey. That effort must include measures to equip workers with the skills and knowledge needed for the digital economy. The Infocomm Media Development Authority's Digital Economy Framework for Action envisages digitalising every industry and every business, and raising productivity and efficiency to make the economy grow. Also, Singapore's competitive edge must be sharpened by supporting companies to leverage digital technology. The infocomm media industry can be a key of the digital economy. These possibilities are underpinned by Singapore building deep capabilities in the frontier areas of artificial intelligence and data science, cyber security, immersive media, and the Internet of Things and future communications infrastructure.