By 2050, over two-thirds of the global population will reside in towns and cities that were never designed for so many people. This is leading to problems like overwhelmed public transport systems, waste management, and pollution. The technology to address these challenges is currently being developed, including ‘smart’ traffic systems, citywide emissions sensors, and the Internet of Things. Combined with significant increases in home working, telemedicine, e-learning, smart energy meters and future advances such as autonomous cars and other innovations that can only be imagined at present, and it’s clear that towns and cities will need to provide much greater bandwidth provision. Well-planned ‘smart cities’ can bring considerable economic benefits to any location, support the digital needs of its citizens and reduce carbon emissions. According to economic consultants Regeneris, a full fibre network such as that being installed by CityFibre could yield up to £280 million in economic benefits for Cheltenham over the next 15 years.