30 ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications ICT infrastructure is a very wide topic by itself. A detailed description of ICT infrastructure is not part of the scope of this Technical Report. At a general level, it is infrastructure that enables computing, communications and associated analysis. ICT infrastructure includes both hardware and software components (e.g. network infrastructure, cloud computing, business and social applications software and access devices). While the Technical Report52 produced by ITU‐T FG‐SSC Working Group 2 focuses on this topic, this section provides a summary of these key components in order to contextualise the notion of SSC and its attributes. The following topics are highly relevant to the design and functioning of SSCs: ICTs specific to smart sustainable cities Internet of things Ubiquitous sensor networks Data security Mobile broadband ICTs specific to smart sustainable cities In addition to traditional ICT infrastructures such as network infrastructure, software applications, cloud computing/data platforms and access devices, Table 5 is a sample list (not exhaustive) of communications‐related technologies which have relevance to SSCs. The Internet of things An important trend that has gained prominence in the last few years is the 'Internet of things' (IoT). Ashton53 defined the term in 1998 and re‐stated in 2009 that: “Today computers – and, therefore, the Internet – are almost wholly dependent on human beings for information”. What this actually means is that all objects and equipment in the world will be connected via Internet in one way or another. Internet will be in everything including the jewellery and clothing. Today's information technology is so dependent on data originated by people that our computers know so much about things. According to recent report by Gartner54, the Internet of things (things, people, places and systems) will create new markets and a new economy adding USD 1.9 trillion worth of economic value by 2020. It is further estimated that in the next two years, the combined IT and telecom market will hit almost USD 4 trillion. Another example of how pervasive the Internet of things could be found from a study by MIT. Researchers from MIT followed close to 3000 items of trash using smart tags and found that the some of this trash travels from its source location in the United States for more than 3 months before they reach a waste disposal unit.55 ____________________ 52 http://www.itu.int/en/ITU‐T/focusgroups/ssc/Pages/default.aspx 53 http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?4986 54 http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2621015 55 http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack/index.php