Dubai – Mubasher: du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), announced it has signed a strategic teaming agreement with Nokia and the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park).

Under the agreement, a consortium comprising the three parties to develop a number of innovative smart city initiatives for the emirate of Sharjah, according to a press release.

The landmark agreement was signed by CEO of SRTI Park Hussain Al Mahmoudi, chief technology officer (CTO) at EITC Saleem AlBlooshi, and Head of Market Solutions and Business Development - MEA at Nokia Mohamed Abdelrehim on the sidelines of GITEX Technology Week 2019.

Saleem AlBlooshi, CTO at EITC, said: “This agreement  provides us with the opportunity to combine our talents and expertise with our partners towards achieving next generation ICT solutions that brings the Emirate of Sharjah closer to the digital future.”

The agreement will see the collaboration of du, Nokia, and SRTIP in handling a series of Proof of Concepts and innovations to upgrade Sharjah’s strategic digital transformation roadmap.

Moreover, the three parties will work jointly to develop a local 5G Use Cases in the area Autonomous Driving and a local Proof of Concept for Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities, 5G use cases based on a Luxturrim5G ecosystem powered by Nokia Bell Labs in SRTIP premises.

The consortium will also partner up with Business Finland to introduce the latest key start-ups in the Industry 4.0 area under the framework of Digital Transformation as well as to set up Proof of Concepts for 5G-based hologram applications.

“The agreement with du and Nokia is a proud catalyst for achieving the decree set out by the leadership, and we are certain this will put Sharjah on the map as a leading innovation free zone,” Hussain Al Mahmoudi said.

For his part, Mohamed Abdelrehim said: “This partnership with them [du and SRTI] helps in developing relevant 5G use cases for digital transformation for the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE. This collaboration will bring together a great level of expertise to achieve the development of technology solutions specific to the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE.”

“We would also like to thank the Finnish government entities such as Finnish Embassy and Business Finland for supporting us in our endeavor of building an innovative digital end-to-end 5G ecosystem across Middle East and Africa,” Abdelrehim added.

This collaboration will boost the SRTIP vision, which was established in 2016 by royal decree of Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.