Chinese telecommunications colossus Huawei has announced that it has signed a MoU with German city Duisburg in a collaborative effort to develop and subsequently implement a smart city strategy within the city.
Mayor of Duisburg, Soren Link and CFO of Huawei’s enterprise business group, Wang Yonggang officially signed the MoU and declared their commitment to make Duisburg one of Europe’s most innovative and digitally advanced cities.
In addition to this, the Chinese vendor also disclosed that it intends on constructing a joint innovation center in the German city which is located in the Rhine-Westphalia region of the country. It has been suggested that Duisburg will benefit directly from innovations developed at the new center.
A number of reports emerging from Germany claim that other plans within the MoU include the expansion of the city’s WLAN network, which will enhance connectivity on the city’s public transport system, whilst in the education sector intelligent classrooms and improved broadband is on the agenda.
Some of the other projects in the pipeline include the implementation of street lamps, supply networks and traffic management and cloud-based e-Government solutions aimed to simplify public access for citizens. Huawei will be on hand to oversee this and offer its experience and expertise in 5G LTE technology and wireless broadband networks which are required to accelerate the development of autonomous driving, smart logistics and Industry 4.0.
The primary objective of the partnership is to develop and nurture innovative ideas and solutions that will utilize new technologies that will ultimately improve the quality of life in Duisburg for the city’s residents and businesses and make the city a more attractive venture for investors. Huawei has declared that this should be done with an ecosystem that includes local and international partners, municipal invested companies and exchanges among local research institutions and universities.
Lord Mayor Soren Link said the MoU offered the city the opportunity to explore the future and grow its economy by embracing digital transformation. He said, “Innovative technologies are the key to meeting the challenges of the future. We want to exploit the opportunities offered by digitization to improve the quality of life in the city and promote economic growth. At the same time, we are further expanding our relations with a global player from China with this cooperation. We are an attractive partner city for international companies, employees and students.”
Currently, Huawei’s smart city solutions serve over 120 cities in more than 40 countries around the globe.
