Tianfu New Area Chengdu signs MoU with Nokia for digital city development

NEW DELHI: The Tianfu New Area Chengdu Administrative Committee and Nokia have signed a strategic agreement (MoU) regarding digital city development.

Under the agreement, both parties will collaborate on the establishment of the new digital city including the construction of the data center and related telecom infrastructure, the deployment of the trial network for internet of things (IoT), the incubation of IoT applications and devices, big data, and the deployment of an end-to-end optics network in Tianfu New Area. Mr. Luo Qiang, Mayor of Chengdu, attended the ceremony and witnessed the signing.

This agreement builds on Nokia's ongoing engagement in smart city projects around the world, and follows the launch in late 2016 of the Smart City Playbook, a strategy report commissioned by Nokia that documents best practices for smart cities. The deal also highlights the progress in Nokia's strategy of expanding its customer base outside of the traditional telecommunications sphere, a key focus for the company.

Nokia's commitment to Chengdu stretches back to December 2015, when the company announced plans for a global R&D center there focusing on next-generation telecom networks, IoT, big data and Cloud technologies. Operations at the center have since started, employing hundreds of R&D personnel.

Mike Wang, president of Greater China for Nokia, said: "The TianFu New Area development project presents an exciting opportunity to build a smart city - or actually a smart region - from the ground up. The communications network will serve as the brain and nervous system of the smart city, and we welcome the opportunity to apply Nokia's technology and know-how to the challenge of building the digital infrastructure that will support this groundbreaking effort."

Yang Linxing, Director of the Tianfu New Area Chengdu Administrative Committee, said: "With Nokia's expertise in smart city development, and its extensive technology and services portfolio around broadband, internet of things (IoT), cloud and big data technologies, we're confident that the digital city initiative will help promote the Tianfu New Area as the new growth center in Chengdu, and improve the whole city's capabilities as a national level center city."