Nokia has announced a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China's Tianfu New Area Chengdu Administrative Committee under which the parties will collaborate on establishing a new digital city that will include the construction of data centre and related telecom infrastructure.
The new digital city project in the Chengdu prefecture of Sichuan province will also involve the deployment of a trial network for internet of things (IoT), the incubation of IoT applications and devices, big data and the deployment of an optical network to serve the Tianfu New Area.
Nokia noted that in December 2015 it announced plans to establish a global R&D centre in Chengdu that would focus on developing technology for areas including next generation telecom networks, IoT, big data and the cloud. The centre is now operational and houses several hundred of R&D staff.
Nokia added that the digital city agreement for Tianfu New Area is the latest smart city engagement for the company worldwide, and highlights the company's strategy to expand its customer base beyond the traditional telecommunications market. In late 2016, Nokia released its Smart City Playbook, which is intended to define best practices for smart city projects.
Tianfu New Area, established in December 2011, is intended to create a modern urban area for residents, industry and commerce, with a focus on developing modern manufacturing and high-end service clusters. Tianfu New Area encompasses parts of Chengdu High-tech Zone, Longquanyi District, Shuangliu County, Xinjin County, Jianyang City, Pengshan County of Meishan City and Renshou County. The plans include the construction of the New Century Global Centre and Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.
