The Saudi Organization for Industrial Estates & Technology Zones (SOIETZ) has launched the initiative of smart industrial cities in co-operation with telecommunication companies, to build an infrastructure of an advanced and developed industrial city of all fields, especially digital development. SOIETZ on Monday has signed a strategic joint venture agreement with Saudi Telecommunication Co. for carrying out infrastructure of communication networks related to the organization industrial groups scattered all over the Kingdom. The approach is through building up an idealistic model to cope with advanced countries, supporting information technology industry and providing safe and easy electronic services to all manufacturers inside industrial cities. SOIETZ Director General Dr. Tawfig F. Al-Rabiah and STC's CEO Eng. Saud Majed Al-Duwaish signed the 10-year agreement. The accord calls for STC to build smart industrial cities coping with global development and renaissance that made the Kingdom an attractive industrial environment. The agreement covers 10 industrial cities -1st & 2nd industrial cities in Riyadh, Jeddah industrial city, 1st & 2nd industrial cities in Dammam, Al-Ahsaa Industrial City, Al-Qassim Industrial City, Makka Industrial City, Al-Madinah Industrial City, Aseer Industrial City. The agreement aims at providing high quality communication services via a distinctive network of advanced specifications. Smart industrial cities initiative, approved by the organization, represent one of the bases that rank the Kingdom among the countries of advanced communications and information technology, to become a global state-of-the-art model, as broadband communication services will be actuated, installing phone lines via fiber -to-the-factory inside industrial cities, besides the availability of wireless networks (Wifi, Wi-Max) for factory service. Smart services involve all industrial cities including individuals' residential area and labor sector as well, though providing this service to factories, homes, public places such as markets and parks, besides providing all electronic services to be easily and safely available to websites users via the internet. Public and residential places will be covered by a Wifi network. The services can be accessed through ISP Co. at globally competitive prices. Value-added services will be also launched to support industry and get factories to operate in an advanced way, such as: q IP Telephony: Considered a modern technology of phone calls via information networks, especially the internet. It merges information services to phones and facilitate phone services by making a single network for both information and calls, and thus getting services easily accessed by users and reducing maintenance cost. This technology is distinguished with voice clarity, low cost, conference calls, using phones and computers. 1. Connecting branches via IP VPN. This service makes it possible to communicate among factories, management and marketing centers via a virtual private network. It depends on IP for transferring data between network terminals, as data are safely transferred. Users within this network can communicate with all audio, video, internet and data applications. 2. Wireless Communication Service by Wifi-WiMesh network for public places and hotspots. Wireless communication services are easily accessible at public and residential places, people in industrial cities can make phone or mobile calls via internet, and WiMesh network as well, due to its connectivity with factories. 3. Managed Services: All units and devise in factories can be managed, through providing a highly reliable infrastructure and a high speed. This service saves time and effort and staff needed for operation. 4. Security Services & Monitoring Cameras and E-Protection: All parts of factory can be monitored via monitor cameras of high quality and utter accuracy, or via early alarming devices for motion tracking. 5. Factory related services like RFID: RFID services are important to factories, as they make it possible to trace every part and parcel of the factory, knowing all produced items, and the items moved out for distribution. The project will be built in a number of phases that will take two years to be finalized. Building wireless communication infrastructure will be finalized by the end of 2008, and wire communication building will be finalized be the end of 2009. Al-Duwaish said STC supports the Kingdom's industrial development, productivity, employment induction, attracting local and foreign new economic investments in the Kingdom and promoting competition in local and global markets. He added that STC will provide all services to industrial cities as per their needs based on the company referral proposal to connect intercommunication approved by the organization of communications and information technology. Al-Rabiah said: “This project has been generated due to the variables that occurred in local and global economic environment, which is rapidly growing, resulting in an increase in the necessary requirements of commercial and industrial development in the Kingdom.” __
