CC Image courtesy of Lars Haefner.
PCCW Global, the international operating division of Hong Kong Telecom (HKT), has signed an agreement with Chinese urban complex developer Shanghai Zendai to provide telecommunication and technology services to the development of the Modderfontein smart city initiative in Johannesburg.
The development will stretch over 1,600 hectares and is being built into a new city centre for Johannesburg.
It will feature nine zones, including the central business district, international conference and exhibition centre, entertainment centre, silver industry and retirement community, international residential community, comprehensive education district, sports centre, trade and logistic park, and light industry park.
According to the company the project will house over 30,000 families and create 200,000 jobs for the local community, and cost over US$9.9 billion.
“PCCW Global, as the venture’s strategic technology partner, will provide Zendai with a wide range of services including systems development and solutions integration, application development and management, telecommunications and information technology services, cloud computing services and e-commerce solutions,” it said in a statement.
The development is expected to become a hub for Chinese firms investing in Sub-Saharan Africa and for those seeking to do business with China.
“With this project, Zendai aims to build the biggest business hub in South Africa, and to be a part of that is an exciting prospect. Our experience in Hong Kong, which is a world leader in terms of broadband speeds to the home and IPTV penetration levels, means we have the proven technological know-how and we are ready to deploy our extensive portfolio of services and resources to make this venture a success,” said PCCW Global’s managing director of HKT Global Development Services Mike van den Bergh.
“We believe that the smart city to be built at Modderfontein Zendai will be on par with the most advanced and innovative developments in the world, and we are delighted that PCCW Global has partnered with us to share their expertise and to ensure that we install the right infrastructure and deploy the latest technologies in order to deliver this project as planned,” said Du Wenhui, Shanghai Zendai’s senior vice president.
