United Development Company (UDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies to enhance The Pearl-Qatar’s smart city features and deploy innovative technologies at UDC’s newest development under construction, Gewan Island, in a total investment of QR17mn.
The MoU was signed by UDC president and CEO and member of the board Ibrahim Jassim al-Othman and Huawei Qatar CEO Fan Tao in the presence of senior officials from both companies.
Al-Othman said, “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. Furthermore, these intelligent features will help reduce cost requirements over time.”
Tao said, “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.
“We are proud to support UDC with solutions that integrate cutting edge technologies working in harmony between users and systems. This is part of ensuring a one-of-a-kind connected customer journey, supporting digital transformation and the digitisation goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
The collaboration will enable UDC to enhance the smart city characteristics of its projects by designing and integrating innovative solutions at The Pearl-Qatar, including the new developments under construction within The Pearl-Qatar, mainly at Floresta Gardens and Giardino Village residential districts, as well as United School International, which is equipped with advanced technologies and state-of-the-art educational establishment; facilities to support excellence and innovation in the field of education; in addition to UDC’s latest development Gewan Island, an integrated residential, commercial and recreational destination that embodies the highest sustainability features.
While The Pearl-Qatar currently boasts a smart infrastructure that includes smart CCTV services and Wi-Fi networks, an intelligent command and control centre, as well as building and parking management systems to name a few, however, as new technology is developed, system updates are becoming essential for increased efficiency.
To this end, the new proposed solutions will include an intelligent operation centre, Wi-Fi6 technology, a smart CCTV system with artificial intelligence cameras, as well as an advanced data centre facility, all of which reinforce the concept of smart and safe cities.
Huawei Technologies is also considering setting up a commercial showroom at The Pearl-Qatar to better promote its products and services.
UDC is a leading Qatari public shareholding company and the master developer of The Pearl-Qatar and Gewan Island.