Data from mobile phone operators: A tool for smarter cities?

•Mobile phone data are a promising source to develop a wide range of smart city applications.•Space–time data form a way to better understand the urban environment and its dynamics.•A great part of the earth׳s population can be now used as agents for data collection.•CDRs are an excellent data sources to estimate the real-time presence and movement.•Urban applications need a full spectrum of information sources for the effective management.

The use of mobile phone data provides new spatio-temporal tools for improving urban planning, and for reducing inefficiencies in present-day urban systems. Data from mobile phones, originally intended as a communication tool, are increasingly used as innovative tools in geography and social sciences research. Empirical studies on complex city systems from human-centred and urban dynamics perspectives provide new insights to develop promising applications for supporting smart city initiatives. This paper provides a comprehensive review and a typology of spatial studies on mobile phone data, and highlights the applicability of such digital data to develop innovative applications for enhanced urban management.