BrazilOrange signs ICT consulting deal for world's tallest tower in Saudi Arabia
Orange Business Services have signed a deal to develop the information and communications technology infrastructure for Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower, set to be the world’s tallest building at a height of over one kilometer.
Orange Business Services, the consulting and B2B services arm of French telecommunications firm Orange S.A. (formerly France Télécom), has signed a smart city consulting agreement with Jeddah Economic Company (JEC), the master developers of the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia. The firm has been tasked with developing an end-to-end blueprint for the monumental tower’s ICT infrastructure.
Backed by Saudi prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, the chairman of JEC’s co-founder Kingdom Holding Company, the Jeddah Tower will act as the dizzying centerpiece of the 5.3 million square meter Jeddah Economic City Project, a $20 billion smart city development situated on the Red Sea north of the country’s second largest center.
The tower’s final elevation is still being kept under wraps, but at over one kilometer in height will be at least 175-odd meters taller than the world’s next tallest building – the Burj Khalifa skyscraper of Dubai. As a contrast, the Jeddah Tower will stand at more than twice the height of the Petronas Towers of Kuala Lumpur, which at 450m were the world’s tallest construction up until 2004.
“In Saudi Arabia, smart city projects are gaining momentum fast and are setting the pace for the region’s rapidly growing economic and technological developments planned under the Saudi National Vision 2030,” Luc Serviant, the vice president of Orange Business Services (OBS) for MENA, said of the announcement.
“Orange brings a wealth of experience in developing infrastructures and smart services for smart cities on a global level, together with insights, innovations and expertise. This includes cutting-edge digital technologies that will have a transformative impact on the way people live and how businesses will work in the future. We are delighted to be working with JEC to help them achieve their vision of transformation in the Kingdom.”
Commenting on the OBS appointment, the CEO of Jeddah Economic City, Mounib Hammoud said, “The implementation of the smart city components is considered as an essential step for delivering an environmentally friendly self-sustainable project.” At the signing ceremony, Kingdom Holding Company’s CEO Talal Almaiman added, “we will spare no effort in using the top digital technologies for smarter living and working environment.”
Regional footprint
With over 2000 employees and a fifty-year presence in the MENA region, OBS, through its major local offices in Riyadh, Cairo, Beirut, and Dubai, has been notably active in respect to the burgeoning smart city enterprises of Saudi Arabia and the greater Gulf. Such projects include the $70 billion King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, and the Msheireb Downtown Doha redevelopment in Qatar. In addition to infrastructure operations, OBS bills itself as a technology integrator, offering clients a variety of integrated digital technologies, including, among others, Big Data and IoT, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Reflecting on the region’s appetite for smart cities in an interview last year, Mohammed Adnane Retni, the consulting firm's Head of Orange Applications for Business in IMEAR, said; “The example of the Middle East is revealing. Those countries actively developing smart cities or smart components of urban areas enjoy significant advantages and benefits, from clear and visionary leadership, well organised and very committed approach to projects and the resources to deliver fast results. They are also hungry for innovation and with the benefits of greenfield sites and few legacy constraints, real innovation is a possibility.”
