Networking leader Cisco has signed agreements with three economic cities in recent weeks to supply solutions and transform them into ‘smart cities.’

King Abbullah Economic City (KAEC), the Madinah Knowledge Economic City (KEC) and Prince AbdulAziz Mousaed Economic City (Pabmec) will receive Cisco solutions.
Cisco will undertake the design of network infrastructure and connected city services at KAEC which is evolving as the world’s first “smart city.”
The company will work with Emaar, the Economic City (Emaar.EC) in offering consultancy and advisory services and identifying networking requirements for infrastructure-related services within the mega project’s 168 million sq m development.
“As the world’s first ‘smart city’, KAEC’s superior information and communications technology platform will give it a crucial competitive advantage and deliver modern lifestyles,” said CEO of Emaar.EC Fahd Al-Rasheed
“The design of this network will complement our efforts to ensure next-generation connectivity services throughout KAEC. Cisco’s proven competence in networking makes it our partner of choice.”
Wim Elfrink, executive vice president and chief globalisation officer, Cisco, commented: “The sheer size and varied infrastructure needs of King Abdullah Economic City make networking a challenge as well as an opportunity to highlight Cisco’s capabilities. Cisco, through years of experience and continuous research today has the unmatched ability to offer networking solutions for large-scale projects, cities and countries. Our solutions are well aligned with KAEC’s projected vision of creating an intelligent city.”
KAEC is the single largest private sector development in the region and is located on the Red Sea coast offering easy access to the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, and the commercial nerve-centre of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah. The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (Sagia), the kingdom’s apex body for strengthening inward investments to the country, is the prime facilitator of KAEC. Several global businesses are expected to establish operations within KAEC, which aims to create jobs for one million people. 
Al-Rasheed and Elfrink confirmed the final agreement in the presence of Amr Al-Dabbagh, the governor of Sagia, and John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco.
Chambers and Sheikh Ibrahim M Alissa of Madinah Knowledge Economic City (KEC) confirmed that a strategic agreement had been finalised for the infrastructure development of the 5 million sq m KEC ‘smart city” project.
The project is designed to attract global information and communications technology firms who wish to establish operations and research and development facilities in Saudi Arabia as well as creating more than 20,000 jobs within the city. Residents should benefit as well with the initiative providing an attractive and interconnected living environment.
KEC’s expected aggregated investment is approximately $8 billion. As part of its Connected Real Estate initiative, Cisco will provide the network architecture for the city.  All buildings in KEC will be interconnected and can be managed over a highly secure Internet Protocol (IP) network, allowing for centralised management and reduced operational costs for the city. The city’s network will facilitate data, voice, video and mobile communications across commercial and residential buildings.
Present at the signing ceremony were KEC Chairman Sheikh Ibrahim M. Alissa, CEO Tahir Bawazir and CTO Mohammad Shah as well as Dr Sami Baroum, managing director of Savola Co, a major share holder in KEC.
“We are committed to boosting the Saudi economy by attracting foreign direct investments, creating jobs and encouraging Muslim scientists to relocate to Saudi by providing them with the right working and living conditions,” Sheikh Ibrahim said.
At Prince Abdulziz Bin Mousaed Economic City, Cisco will facilitate infrastructure development of what will be one of the Middle East’s largest logistics hubs. The collaboration will introduce quad-play connectivity (data, voice, video and wireless communications) to all businesses and residents operating within the city.
Cisco will provide end-to-end technology architecture for the ambitious project to support a future state-of-the-art radio frequency identification (RFID) system.  With Cisco’s Connected Real Estate, all buildings in the city will be interconnected and controlled over a secured Internet Protocol (IP) network, centralising all operations and reducing cost of operation.
Located in the northern Saudi city of Hail, the city is envisaged as an integrated commerce and industry hub stretching across 156 million sq m.
“The technology infrastructure which will be put in will be second to none and will play a significant role in attracting global operations to set up shop in the city,” said Abdullah Taibah, CEO of Prince Abdulaziz Bin Mousaed Economic City.
Prince AbdulAziz Bin Mousaed Economic City is set to become the largest transportation and logistics hub in the Middle East. Pabmec’s core Master Development Plan will incorporate a cluster-based development comprising of transportation, logistics and supply chain centers.
In addition, the agro-industrial zone will support agricultural and food processing services as well as mining and processing industries sectors. Moreover, it will be supported by a robust and solid infrastructure in addition to the business, residential and recreational sectors.
In the area of transportation, logistics and supply chain, an international airport is expected to cater to three million passengers per year, while a railway station will cater to approximately two million passengers annually. Dry ports and operation centres will be capable of handling over 1.5 million tonnes of cargo annually.
The city will also benefit from a major expansion of the kingdom’s railway system, which will connect the main regions. In addition, major new highways are being constructed to link the kingdom through Hail with Jordan, Iraq and also Madinah.
Sagia’s new Riyadh headquarters, inaugurated recently, is being powered by next-generation infrastructure from Cisco.