Nusajaya to be turned into an ICT-powered smart city

UEM and Iskandar Investment tie up with Cisco to develop masterplan for the project

By MALMINDERJIT SINGH

A PLAN to transform Nusajaya, a part of Iskandar Malaysia, into a smart city with superior information and communications technology (ICT) was unveiled yesterday.

Mr Wan Abdullah: Says the plan further enhances Nusajaya's attractiveness to both investors and potential residents

UEM Land Holdings Berhad (UEM) and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) will collaborate with Cisco to develop an ICT and Services Smart City masterplan to turn Nusajaya into a Smart+Connected Community.

Smart+Connected Communities are Cisco's revolutionary architecture and vision for urban development, which are built on the idea of transforming traditional physical communities into connected communities to realise economic, social and environmental sustainability.

This is done by allowing everyone in the community access to technology solutions in all day-to-day activities - be it at home, school, office, services or transport - via integrated operations centres that use the ICT network as an underlying platform.

As this is aligned with the government's goal to establish a Digital Malaysia masterplan to create integrated and interconnected developments to accelerate growth across all sectors of the economy, all stakeholders involved were excited by the prospects of this collaboration.

'In addition to providing a solid foundation for businesses to thrive, integration of the latest technologies will also enhance the quality of life of residents,' said Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, president and chief executive officer of IIB.

He added that residents will also benefit from this as families will have access to the likes of public services and medical consultations via video conferencing.

'The Smart+Connect Community in Nusajaya will create a revolutionary digital urban operating system in the development of the larger masterplan community in Iskandar Malaysia,' he added.

'This collaboration with Cisco is a major step towards realising our vision of a Smart+Connected Nusajaya, which is envisioned to be one of the leading modern living communities.

'Leveraging on ICT, Nusajaya offers sustainable, safe, secure, urbanised and highly interactive progressive lifestyle. The proposition further enhances Nusajaya's attractiveness to both investors as well as potential residents,' added Wan Abdullah Wan Ibrahim, managing director and chief executive officer of UEM.

Cisco, and a consortium of local and international expert partners - including Mesiniaga, a leading Malaysian system integrator, and KT u-City Consulting - will develop smart city infrastructure and services blueprints among other deliverables as part of the Smart City masterplan.

Cisco is executing Smart+Connected Communities projects around the world in cities such as Amsterdam, London, Toronto and Songdo, South Korea.

The portfolio of services covers integrated city operations, public safety and security, smart transportation, education, retail, commercial office, leisure and tourism.

'Cisco and our collaborating partners are delighted to be selected by UEM and IIB to create the Smart+Connected Communities masterplan for Nusajaya. . .

'Nusajaya has the potential to become a leading model for Cisco's Smart+ Connected Communities vision worldwide. All the right ingredients are in place - government participation, visionary developers and an ecosystem of private sector expertise - to bring to life a Smart+ Connected Nusajaya,' explained Anil Menon, Cisco's president of Globalisation and Smart+Connected Communities.

UEM and IIB have collaborated on other projects in Nusajaya, notably in the mixed-development project in Medini, Nusajaya, known as the Lifestyle Retail Mall and Residences @ Medini North.

Yesterday's announcement was the culmination of a two-year engagement between UEM, IIB and Cisco, during which the two main developers evaluated Cisco's smart city framework as well as Smart+ Connected Community projects around the world.

A key driver of Iskandar Malaysia, Nusajaya with its 9,700ha of contiguous development-ready land, is one of the largest property developments in Asia.