436 ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications Connected health care Health care delivery can benefit from a connected approach, with electronic patient records available to all medical services. This will enable public health professionals and clinicians to collaboratively access information in a secure way, at any time, from anywhere and from any mobile device. In many cases, telemedicine solutions connected through broadband, wireless or satellite, can prove vital in situations where the infrastructure or specific contingencies do not allow for the physical presence of a specialist, in cases such as natural disasters or remote geographical locations. An ageing population needs traditional care, as well as assisted living and health monitoring services to enable independence at home. This can be achieved through the utilization of sensors and devices connected to health operators through broadband, wireless and data analytics, and crucially, the deployment of privacy, identification and security systems. In the case of a road accident, a malicious intrusion that compromises communication between first respondents and operational centers could prevent its accurate localization and the efficient dispatch of emergency units. Equally, during such incidents, emergency services might need to operate using medical data for injured patients by accessing a central location, and they should operate on the basis of reliability and integrity of the information. Recommendations In this context, back‐up, cybersecurity and authentication solutions can ensure that health care systems offer reliability and integrity, as well as patient privacy. Public safety and security Above all, cities need to be safe. Public safety and security has become paramount for city administrations, whether protecting them against crime, natural disasters, accidents or terrorism. From conventional street violence to complex financial offences, identity thefts or data breaches, the crime scenario is extremely dynamic and can only be tackled by increasingly sophisticated technologies and processes. Telesurveillance systems are becoming pervasive in urban settings and, coupled with real‐time communication capabilities, can help emergency services intervene promptly in incidents. In the immediate aftermath of a serious accident or catastrophic event, reliability and security become key factors. The ability to share information between agencies, to operate sophisticated telesurveillance systems, to guarantee connectivity to incident response teams and first responders, to gather and analyse heterogeneous intelligence and data about incidents in real time, allow municipalities and emergency services to increase safety conditions for citizens, businesses, assets and infrastructure.