i-City (22 September 2016) — The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, YB Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau was in i-City on 20th September 2016 to witness the signing of a strategic partnership between i-City and Huawei to implement the smart city and IoT-ready home concept.
Located above the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Converse @i-City is a high end residential targeted to launch by early 2017. Converse @i-City will also showcase the next phase of i-City Smart City concept where the units will be “Internet of Things” (IoT) ready.
According to Dato’ Eu Hong Chew, Deputy Chairman of I-Berhad, i-City first started developing this Smart city concept 10 years ago by providing fiber to the unit as part of the basic utility infrastructure, i-City is also the first developer in the country to invest and own the last mile infrastructure to ensure high speed connectivity.
“Digital technology has made significant advancements resulting in us being at the dawn of the IoT today. In the industrial sector the IoT has spawned the development of Industry 4.0. In the consumer sector, we are beginning to see developments of many more connected devices.”
Dato’ continued, “In the real estate sector, we believe that the IoT will accelerate the development of the intelligent home where many home appliances and devices will be connected to the cloud to ensure convenience as well as a more efficient use of energy. As these progresses more consumer products will more likely be IoT enabled so that home owners would want the ability to connect products they have purchased to the internet.”
“As i-City already has a wired high speed internet infrastructure, we believe that the next area of improvement is to upgrade this infrastructure to operate in both a wired and wireless environment, within the home and within i-City area.”
“The intelligent home based on the IoT will be dependent on a robust digital network in the home. That is why for the next phase of i-City we will be placing greater emphasis on providing the network infrastructure as part of the utility infrastructure for the home. Thus for the buyers of i-City, we are providing the IoT-ready homes.”
“i-City’s strategic alliance with Huawei will focus on three areas. First, it is upgrading its connectivity infrastructure from wired to a mixed wired and wireless network. Second, it is to have a common smart city platform for smart city solutions such as street lighting, traffic management and parking, in line with i-City’s role of providing township services. Finally we want to make the homes in i-City IoT-ready with home network as the first step. With Huawei, the global ICT leader, as i-City’s tech partner, we are confident that as technology evolves, there will be more solutions to make the home IoT-ready” said Dato’. “This strategic alliance with Huawei will enable i-City to focus on property development while harnessing the technological strengths of Huawei”.
At the ceremony, Lim Cheesiong, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Southern Pacific Region commented, “As a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, it is our vision to enhance and enrich peoples’ lives through the advancements of our technology. Technology continues to play an integral part of our lives, touching almost every aspect, from our homes and the workplace, and reaching out as far as whole communities. Technology is the future. This is why it is important to start focusing on our development of smart cities in Malaysia. Huawei’s technology aims to provide smart solutions to improve the lives of all.”
