Dubai-based telecom operator du has announced a partnership with one of the world’s best known technology research universities to help boost the UAE’s smart city revolution.
Du, the UAE’s No.2 telecom operator by subscriber numbers, said in a statement that it has forged a strategic partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Senseable City Lab.
The joint agreement sees du move into leading-edge research into the intrinsic relationship between new technologies, people and urban environments – something critical to the success of Smart City initiatives, it said in the statement.
The MIT Senseable Cities Lab has already built up some impressive Smart City credentials around the world – including the upcoming driverless cars initiative in Singapore.
Osman Sultan, CEO, du, said: “Our partnership is rooted in the strong belief that knowledge is power. We are committed to playing an important role in the smart revolution in the UAE, but critical to this ambition is the ability to transform robust data into powerful knowledge and wisdom. With its unparalleled expertise, MIT Senseable Cities Lab will help unlock this potential.”
du announced the collaboration as part of its participation in The Government Summit 2015, which starts on Monday. This year, the event’s theme is Shaping Future Governments.
Carlo Ratti, director of the Senseable City Laboratory, said: “As cities are transformed by the convergence of digital and physical system, it is very important for us at MIT to partner with leading players in this space. du’s telecommunications platform will be an invaluable asset to develop a new ‘smart city’ solution and better understand the city of Dubai – one of the most rapidly changing areas in the world.”
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