I-Bhd partners Huawei to provide “Internet of Things”-ready homes in i-City

PETALING JAYA (Sept 21): Property developer I-Bhd has  partnered Huawei to implement the smart city and “Internet of Things” (IoT)-ready home concept in i-City, Shah Alam.

I-Bhd and Huawei inked the strategic partnership in a ceremony yesterday witnessed by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau.

In a statement, I-Bhd deputy chairman Datuk Eu Hong Chew said the alliance between the property developer and Huawei will focus on three areas.

“First, it is to upgrade i-City’s connectivity infrastructure from wired to mixed wired and wireless network. Second, it is to have a common smart city platform for smart city solutions such as street lighting, traffic management and parking, in line with i-City’s role of providing township services. Finally, both parties will make the homes in i-City IoT-ready with a home network as the first step,” he said.

The partnership will see Converse @ i-City — high-end residences targeted to launch early next year — showcase the next phase of the i-City Smart City concept where units will be IoT-ready.

The upcoming project will be located above the 4-star DoubleTree hotel in the 72-acre MSC Malaysia Cybercentre certified development.

As i-City already has a wired high-speed internet infrastructure, Eu believes that the next area of improvement is to upgrade this infrastructure to operate in both a wired and wireless environment, within the home and within the i-City area.

“The intelligent home based on the IoT will be dependent on a robust digital network in the home. That is why for the next phase of i-City, we will be placing greater emphasis on providing the network infrastructure as part of the utility infrastructure for the home,” Eu said.

With Huawei as i-City’s tech partner, I-Bhd is confident there will be more solutions to make the home IoT-ready, he added.

“This strategic alliance with Huawei will enable i-City to focus on property development while harnessing the technological strengths of Huawei.”

Meanwhile, Huawei Southern Pacific Region chief marketing officer Lim Chee Siong commented: “Technology is the future. This is why it is important to start focusing on our development of smart cities in Malaysia. Huawei’s technology aims to provide smart solutions to improve the lives of all.”  

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