Qatar’s leading construction firm, United Development Company (UDC) has made an agreement with Chinese multinational technology company, Huawei to enhance The Pearl-Qatar’s smart city features and deploy innovative technologies at Gewan Island, in a total investment of $4.6 million.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the president and CEO and member of the board of UDC, Ibrahim Jassim al-Othman and CEO of Huawei Qatar Fan Tao in the presence of senior officials from both companies.
The partnership will allow UDC to boost the smart city characteristics of its projects by designing and integrating innovative solutions at The Pearl-Qatar, including the new developments under construction, mainly at Floresta Gardens and Giardino Village residential districts, as well as United School International. In addition, Gewan Island, an integrated residential, commercial and recreational destination that embodies the highest sustainability features will also benefit from the collaboration.
Ibrahim Jassim al-Othman President & CEO Board Member – UDC
“This strategic partnership aligns with UDC’s commitment to innovation by continuously delivering a superior, seamless and secure customer experience to our residents, investors, and visitors, through investing in the latest technological solutions in accordance with the highest international standards and technologies in the field of telecom. This will allow us to monitor operations at The Pearl-Qatar and Gewan Island in real-time and hence improve security and operation levels by accelerating emergency response and facilitating intelligent decision-making.”
The Pearl-Qatar currently boasts a smart infrastructure that includes smart CCTV services and Wi-Fi networks, an intelligent command and control center and many more, however, as new technology is developed, system updates are becoming essential for increased efficiency. The proposed solutions will include an intelligent operation center, Wi-Fi6 technology, a smart CCTV system with artificial intelligence cameras, as well as an advanced data center facility, all of which reinforce the concept of smart and safe cities.
Furthermore, Huawei Technologies is considering setting up a commercial showroom at The Pearl-Qatar to better promote its products and services.
“Digital technologies are becoming deeply embedded in all areas of today’s cities, whether in urban governance, citizen life, public safety, or industrial development. As a result, a smart city development race is taking place around the world, and Qatar continues to make noteworthy progress on smart cities and intelligent communities’ developments,” Mr. Tao said.
