IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The Italian Banking Association says its members are willing to pilot a new version of the euro

Italy is joining China and other countries in embracing the concept of digital currency.

The Italian Banking Association (ABI) saysits members are willing to pilot a digital version of the euro.

Under the plan, large shops, taxis, airports, law courts and other public places would have to set up an Internet connection and offer no-password wireless access free.

Italy’s Digital Transformation is well underway as it strives to make its cities smarter. Telecommunications provider, TIM, which is based in the country, is contributing to this development. Supporting its plans is the European Investment Bank as it helps to advance urban regeneration, the redevelopment and energy efficiency of public buildings and the advancement of sustainable mobility in Florence.

Smart cities lie at the heart of Italy’s digitisation process. The first Italy of smart and sustainable cities report, drawn up by the TIM Research Centre with the ‘Smart City’ and ‘Startup Intelligence’ Observatories of Politecnico di Milano and the CNR Department of Engineering, ICT and Technology for Energy and Transport, was recently presented in Rome.

A city oriented towards digital development that is sustainable, with a better quality of life and, above all, on a human scale. These are the characteristics of the 'Human Smart City' according to EY, which has drawn up an index to identify the cities in Italy that come closest to this model. These are the leading smart cities in Italy in 2022 according to EY.

1. What is a smart city?
2. Smart Cities in Italy
3. North-South gap in smart cities

Government organizations in charge of innovation will need help to keep up with the pace of economic digital transformation, a Saudi minister said on Thursday.

Speaking at the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting 2021 in Trieste, Italy, Abdullah Al-Sawaha said “bridging the digital gap globally is the way to achieve the prosperity of societies.”

Smart cities should of course have smart technologies, but it is essential new tech should be human-centered, according to Italian and Chinese participants at a recent forum hosted by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, with full support from elite Italian school Politcnico di Torino.

"A modern city can be facilitated by many new technologies, but it needs to be aware of bigger issues such as climate change and data privacy," said Michele Geraci, a professor at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, and former undersecretary of State at the Italian Ministry Economic Development.

Europas erstes Projekt zur medizinischen Versorgung auf hoher See wurde vor kurzem auf einem Kongress zur Telemedizin in Rom präsentiert: Dabei wurde die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Europas führender Kreuzfahrtreederei Costa Kreuzfahrten, dem Telekommunikationsdienstleister TELESAL, dem in Genua ansässigen Galliera Krankenhaus, dem Bauunternehmen D´Appolonia und der C.I.R.M. (International Radio Medical Center) vorgestellt.

One of the biggest challenges for doctors is making sure their patients understand what is said to them during a consultation. In truth, the majority have forgotten most of it by the time they get home.

Italy’s delay in the digitalization of the public administration is known, and improvements from year to year are slow in coming. This is the conclusion reached by major international bodies, from the EU Commission to the OECD and including the World Bank.

Suffice it to say that in 2015 only 24% of Italians claimed to have had “interactions with the public administration in the last 12 months.” A far cry from the over 80% in Denmark and Estonia, but even from other big countries, such as France (63%), Germany (53%), Great Britain (49%) and from the EU average (46%). Only Bulgaria and Romania fare worse than the Italians.

Andy is a 35-year-old Englishman from London who has traveled around the world. He has been to Thailand and Australia, just to name a few nations. Finally he made up his mind to settle down in northeastern Italy with his girlfriend, where they have opened a bed and breakfast. He hoped to enjoy a better quality of life, compared with the lifestyle he could achieve in London.

In the common imagination of foreigners Italy is -- and always will be -- the country of sun, sea, pretty women and nice food; a country of art and tradition, the Coliseum and the leaning tower of Pisa.

Legislators in Italy have proposed a free Wi-Fi plan for the country. The new plan aims to place the country on the same level as other European nations in terms of public Wi-Fi penetration, digital and e-government services. Italy is staggering behind the rest of Europe in terms of broadband penetration, with broadband speeds scarcely exceeding 30 Megabits per second, with less than 1% of the population having access to these speeds. The European average, on the other hand, is 6%.