Hong Kong-based telecommunications provider PCCW Global has signed a deal with Shanghai Zendai to develop a smart city in South Africa
The project at Modderfonstein in Johannesburg, South Africa, will be spread across 16mn square metres and will house 30,000 families, according to PCCW Global.
Reports added that the new smart city would have including nine functional zones, namely the central business district, international conference and exhibition centre, entertainment centre, silver industry and retirement community, international residential community, comprehensive education district, sports centre, trade and logistic park and light industry park.
PCCW Global, as the venture’s strategic technology partner, would provide Shanghai Zendai with services like systems development and solutions integration, application development and management, telecommunications and information technology services, cloud computing services and e-commerce solutions.
Mike van den Bergh, global managing director of PCCW Global, said, “With this project, Shanghai Zendai aims to build the biggest business hub in South Africa, and to be a part of that is an exciting prospect. Our experience in Hong Kong, which is a world leader in terms of broadband speeds to the home and IPTV penetration levels, means we have the proven technological know-how and we are ready to deploy our extensive portfolio of services and resources to make this venture a success.”
The development is expected to become a hub for Chinese firms investing in sub-Saharan Africa, and those keen to do business with China. The companies stated that deployment of leading ICT infrastructure and the delivery of innovative services will be paramount.
Du Wenhui, senior vice-president of Shanghai Zendai, added that PCCW Global’s strong presence in South Africa makes this project viable and the team hopes to make the smart city at Modderfonstein would be one of the ‘most advanced and innovative’ developments in the world.
