Dubai – The project to transform Dubai into a smart city will be carried out in three phases, which will be worked on simultaneously, said Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and General Supervisor of the project.
Shaikh Hamdan made these remarks during the first meeting of the Higher Committee of the Dubai Smart City project yesterday. Shaikh Hamdan pointed out that the project will be carried out in three phases: Smart Life, Smart Economy, and Smart Tourism.
Smart Life will be focused on services related to education, health care, transportation, telecommunication, public utilities, energy, and any other activity that adds quality to the life of the emirate’s residents. Smart Economy concerns the development of smart companies, and services related to ports, airports, smart bourses, and smart jobs, which will in turn boost the project’s role in supporting the national economy.
The third and final phase, Smart Tourism, aims to offer a comfortable and smart environment for the emirate’s visitors, such as services related to visas, aviation, smart gates, hotels, restaurants and other activities. This phase will serve to reflect Dubai’s reputation and capabilities in achieving its goals in the tourism sector, and further strengthens its position as a tourism destination that serves more than 50 million passengers and 10 million tourists per year.
Shaikh Hamdan said that the three phases will lead to a new stage of development for Dubai. He stressed the importance of completing all studies and plans in one month, starting from today.
“It is important that we complete all the necessary research and plans as quickly as possible. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is a man that dislikes delays in work and completion of achievements. He is always thinking of new ideas and levels that Dubai can achieve. This project is a gateway to a number of different projects that are part of Dubai’s journey to be number one on the global stage,” Shaikh Hamdan said.
Shaikh Hamdan said Dubai government bodies, institutions and companies will fully cooperation with the committee to ensure the completion of the project, and added that he will personally and closely follow up on such operations.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Director of Shaikh Mohammad’s Executive Office and Chairman of the project’s Higher Committee, said that the nature of the project requires carrying out a number of detailed studies and field surveys as well as forging partnerships with various bodies.
Al Gergawi added that the project will create new economic opportunities through the emergence of new sectors, such as those concerning smart life services at homes, hotels, offices and government institutions. He pointed out that the government will support and forge partnerships with these new companies. He said that according to preliminary studies, the telecommunications, tourism and aviation sector will benefit the most from the smart city project.
The Smart City Project was announced by Shaikh Mohammad earlier this week, to transform Dubai into a “Smart City,” linking the emirate’s government services and the public through the use of smart devices accessed freely using high-speed wireless internet connections.
Shaikh Mohammad said the new integrated high-tech approach aims to use the latest advances in technology to create a model for providing government services that are easily accessible, quick, and efficient using smart devices.
Smart City’ main aim is to provide better connections and increase cooperation between the city and its citizens and residents. It promotes the use of government facilities using the largest possible number of smart applications.
