The Oman Company for the Development of the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Tatweer), and Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), signed yesteday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that provides technical solutions to make Duqm a smart city. Salem bin Yasser al Sulaimani and Talal bin Said al Mamari, the CEOs of Tatweer and Omantel respectively, signed the MoU on the sidelines of the 4th Duqm Forum organised by the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (SEZAD) and the branch of and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) in Al Wusta Governorate.
According to the MoU, the two companies will identify SEZAD needs of solutions that meet the requirements of smart cities to begin implementation.
Talal al Mamari, CEO of Omantel, said: “We are proud to have a strategic partnership with Tatweer that aims to turn Duqm into an attractive business and tourism destination for investors in the MENA region, which requires mutual efforts by the public and private sectors. Omantel has already installed state-of-the-art technologies in Duqm and prepared the ground for a smart city in order to maximise efficiency in various operations, including facility management.”
He also added, “This is yet another partnership that Omantel forms to bolster smart cities and it comes in addition to our support for Al Mouj Muscat, and KOM in cooperation with the ITA. These partnerships, along with our significant investments in Industry 4.0 technologies, reaffirms our commitment to help the Sultanate achieve its digital transformation vision and support the sustainable development of the technology sector.”
The MoU aims to create an intelligent community constantly in touch with information technology. It also aims to provide an integrated smart experience for residents, investors and visitors of Duqm, encourage the community to use smart solutions and deploy them in Duqm, focusing on the needs of existing and future facilities in line with the needs of smart cities and in a way that contributes to promoting the existing assets in Duqm.
The MoU seeks to make ICT services more flexible, efficient and sustainable with the use of information technology, digital technology and telecommunications services, provision of better public services for the population, and ensuring better use of resources and in line with environmental conservation requirement and in collaboration with Huawei — the strategic partner.
The MoU covers key areas, including infrastructure, public services, tourism services, security and safety services, smart harbour solutions, solutions for campus, traffic lights, road lighting, smart building management and waste management.
It also covers transport services, truck weights, smart bus station, parking, video surveillance, vehicle plate identification, WIFI public network, one-stop shop services and SEZAD e-application “My Duqm”.
The MoU reflects SEZAD-Tatweer vision to deploy smart cities solutions that contribute to attract investments, create an attractive investment environment, and make Duqm a modern city capable of meeting the needs of its residents in work, residence and settlement, strengthen SEZD position as a regional hub in industry, logistics, trade and tourism.