There has been much talk of Smart Cities recently. Orange has been pioneering this concept for some time now, helping property developers throughout the region to enter the profitable world of broadband and telecoms services. If you are interested in how smart homes, intelligent buildings and e-government services are helping to transform life in the Middle East, check out our Briefing Paper. Download smart_cities_business_brief_from_orange_business_services.pdf.pdf

In the Gulf alone, there is an estimated $2 trillion of investment committed to new cities, hotels, towers, airports and ports. Increasingly, each development needs something special to differentiate it. Competition for tenants and the need for ongoing service revenues (combined with the fact the technology is now realizable), mean the any major property development without “smartness” will struggle to stand out in a ever greater crowd.

One example of a developer with the right vision is Emaar. Its landmark King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia, will be one of the world’s most advanced (and costly) featuring intelligent homes, IP television, building automation, intelligent HVAC, smart civic services, e-government portals and so on. Orange is responsible for creating these services.