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NEOM partners with STC to develop world’s leading cognitive cities

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Extreme Neom

Saudi Arabia’s city of the future NEOM is set to develop the world’s leading cognitive cities after signing a contract with STC to establish a 5G network infrastructure.

NEOM’s next-gen cognitive cities will support its cutting-edge urban environments, improving the lives of residents and tourists beyond the capabilities of current smart cities.

The futuristic mega-city will be 33 times the size of New York City and nearly the size of Belgium. More than 1 million people will work and reside at NEOM.

The partnership between NEOM and STC includes developing the 5G network and creating an innovation centre at NEOM to explore new 5G opportunities.

5G network and innovation centre at NEOM

neom stc
NEOM

NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al Nasr said: “We are glad to form this partnership with a leading national digital enabler such as STC to support our ambition and goal to be an accelerator of human progress and to create the world’s leading digitally sustainable, cognitive cities.

“NEOM’s infrastructure will utilise AI, robotics, and human-machine fusion to deliver greater predictive intelligence and enable faster decision making across all NEOM sectors.

“The procurement and deployment of a future-proof wireless network is a critical first for NEOM in realising our goal of driving innovation in the future digital economy.”

NEOM will use one of the most advanced 5G technologies in the world, enabling the exchange of data between NEOM residents and city infrastructure.

NEOM’s 5G will enable the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), smart homes and autonomous vehicles.

IoT, VR, AR, smart homes, autonomous vehicles

STC CEO Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Nasser said: “We are proud to have been chosen to build the infrastructure for the 5G network and an innovation centre in NEOM – the land of the future and a model for sustainability, innovation, development, and prosperity.

“This agreement comes in line with STC’s vision as a digital enabler to develop infrastructure and provide the latest technologies that will enrich the experience of societies and foster innovation, which in turn will contribute to improve the customer experience and moving the digital transformation forward.”

NEOM also plans to trial and test 5G solutions in a bid to lead in sectors such as robotics, AI and human machine interface technologies.

Saudi Arabia is creating a host of attractions and giga-projects as part of Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy in order to reduce the country’s reliance on oil.

The giga-projects, which include Amaala, NEOM, the Red Sea Project and Qiddiya, are designed to stimulate the economy as integrated economic ecosystems.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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