New Songdo International City Development (NSIC) and
Cisco announced agreements to develop Songdo International Business District, a
1,500-acre new city on the coast of Incheon, South Korea.
Songdo IBD is being developed by NSIC, a joint-venture
between American developer Gale International and Korean construction firm
POSCO E&C, under the governance of the Incheon Free Economic Zone
Authority.
Under the first agreement, Cisco has agreed to invest in
U.Life Solutions, together with Songdo U.Life, a company previously formed by
NSIC and LG CNS. Songdo U.Life will retain majority ownership in the new
company, with Cisco holding a minority stake.
Cisco’s investment of $47 million underpins the company’s
commitment to both agreements. U.Life Solutions will deliver the managed
smart-city services over the Cisco Unified Service Delivery platform, the
single integrated solution unifying data centers, computing resources, video,
collaboration and communications for Songdo IBD.
Cisco’s investment in U.Life Solutions represents a
significant milestone in Cisco’s vision of building Smart+Connected Communities
by using the network as the platform to deliver innovative services. U.Life
Solutions will deliver a wide range of managed smart-city services to
organizations and residents living and working in Songdo IBD, including
integrated building and facility management, on-premise safety and security,
home networking, and virtual concierge services.
U.Life Solutions will deliver Smart+Connected Community
managed services to businesses and residents in Songdo IBD. The second
agreement will see NSIC integrate Cisco
products and technologies into new construction projects in Songdo IBD
and paves the way for Cisco to establish a Global Showcase for Smart+Connected
Communities that will ultimately be located in the Northeast Asia Trade Tower.
The center will be a dynamic showcase for technologies and applications for
smart cities built on the experience of Songdo IBD.
“Our further collaboration with Gale International
on Songdo IBD is our next milestone in ensuring that technology becomes a key
enabler in creating economically, socially and environmentally sustainable
cities. This brings us a step closer to our vision to create a new industry
based on smart regulation, new ecosystems, public-private partnerships and
21st-century smart connected cities. I am sure Songdo IBD will soon be set as a
leading example of a technologically led smart future city,” said Wim
Elfrink, executive vice president, Emerging Solutions, and chief
globalization officer, Cisco.
Beginning this year, U.Life Solutions will start
deploying Smart+Connected Community Home Solutions that comprise advanced home
networking systems and Cisco TelePresence(R), a next-generation video
conferencing technology.
With this solution, residents will be able to
conveniently control lighting, air conditioning/heating systems, gas, curtains
and all other home devices using touch-screen wall pads, mobile remote
controllers and even smartphones, computers and tablet devices. The Cisco
TelePresence unit will enable real-time video communication and provide a
window not just to family members, but also to a host of service providers such
as schools, banks and the government.
TelePresence and related technologies will transform the
lives of the citizens of Songdo IBD. Every apartment will feature this
window to the world, accessing friends, family and citizen services directly,
live and in person. Songdo IBD will be the ultimate smart connected community,
offering lifestyle enabling innovations for residents and businesses. “We look
forward to collaborating with Cisco to use technology to build and transform
environmentally responsible and economically viable communities,” said
Stanley C. Gale, chairman of NSIC.
By Telecomlead.com Team
