Abu Dhabi and Dubai ‘ready’ to achieve advanced smart city status fast

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are “well positioned” to be at the forefront of becoming full-fledged smart cities, with several initiatives, particularly those involving 6G technologyA senior research fellow at the Institute of Technological Innovation said the programme is aimed at helping the transition to the digital economy of the future.

Thierry Lestable, executive director of the UAE, said the two emirates have launched multiple initiatives to advance the development of the upcoming sixth-generation wireless network, which is attracting top players around the world. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Science TII Research Centre, Abu Dhabi.

He told us that the two cities “are a perfect playground in terms of the infrastructure being built… They have innovative ecosystems of people and industries with the same vision and are deploying these technologies for the benefit of society” National In an interview at the inaugural Abu Dhabi 6G Summit.

Smart cities leverage the latest information and communication technologies to seamlessly connect people and devices, improve operational efficiency and boost overall economic activity.

Abu Dhabi already leads the Middle East Ranked 28th in the Global Smart Cities Index, according to the 2021 report by the Institute for Management Development and Singapore University of Technology and Design. Dubai followed in 29th place. Both emirates moved up 14 places from their 2020 rankings.

The UAE and the UAE are promoting the use of smart technologies to accelerate their agenda of becoming a knowledge-based economy in the era of digital transformation.

Mr Lestable said Abu Dhabi is already conducting field trials, testing and deploying vehicles connected to the smart infrastructure.

It’s also moving forward with a pilot program drone deliveryand this month, self-driving taxi minibuses are expected to Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

On the other hand, Dubai has Intelligent Traffic Management System Reduce congestion and emergency response times. It also plans to have about 4,000 driverless taxis on its roads by 2030.

The UAE also ranked first in the Middle East in the 2021 edition of the Global Innovation Index, cementing its position among the world’s leading nations in adopting the latest technologies.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy recently announced that total foreign direct investment in the UAE, the second-largest economy in the Arab world, will reach $20.7 billion by 2021, more than doubling over the past decade.

Dubai remains The world’s largest foreign direct investment destination Dubai’s Ministry of Economy and Tourism said in a report this week that 492 projects attracted $3.74 billion in inflows in the first half of 2022, underscoring its efforts to position itself as an advanced technology hub.

Mr Lestable was unable to estimate how much investment would be required to develop 6G technology, but conceded “it must be a lot of money”.

For context, the European Commission last November created the Smart Networks and Services Joint Commitment Programme, tasked with accelerating digital transformation and 6G research, with an EU-backed budget of 900 million euros ($879.6 million) by 2027.

The most important return on investment (RoI) that smart cities can provide is their ability to reduce harmful emissions, in line with global climate change commitments, and the well-being they will provide for the people who live in them.

“Compared to other industries, business use cases that rely on mobile networks have a 20-to-1 benefit ratio. In terms of ROI, they will be able to play 20 times more to deal with the change,” Mr. Lestable said.

How does 6G accelerate the development of smart cities?

6G promises faster speeds and greater efficiency than the latest 5G technology.be expected to improving capability 100 times that of today’s 5G networks. Latency (the delay between sending and receiving information) will decrease by 10 to 0.1 milliseconds, while the energy efficiency of the network will drop by a factor of 100.

Use cases and industries that have already benefited from 5G will benefit even more from 6G, Mr. Lestable said.

In terms of communications, 6G will be able to provide ubiquitous connectivity, allowing any or all devices to interact seamlessly.

“6G will merge all of these, and it will find ways to push the boundaries of data rates and communication speeds,” Mr. Lestable said.

Robots are expected to be used for a variety of purposes, such as hotels and offices, and networks, which will help ensure safety and reliability.

“The form factor of the robots will vary as they need to be accepted to ensure that their integration with their intended purpose works smoothly and is optimal in terms of features and functionality,” Mr Lestable said.

The healthcare industry will see more remote interactions between doctors and patients. This is already in practice for now, but highly advanced procedures like telesurgery will become more common as it will take advantage of 6G speeds.

In agriculture, farms connected to 6G networks will be able to use drones to water and fertilize crops. Smart farming is already happening, but 6G will allow faster and more accurate data collection, Mr Lestable said.

“All of this means you’re going to get economic growth through smart cities,” he said.

Updated: 11/5/2022 4:30am