A range of next-generation services and broadband connectivity of up to 1Gbps will be available to the future residents of Saudi Arabia’s high-tech flagship, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), which is in phase one of its construction. Ericsson recently announced a five-year exclusive contract with property developer Emaar the Economic City to deploy and manage the greenfield fiber-to-the-home broadband network and its IPTV service.

Ericsson Saudi Arabia Vice President for New Accounts Fredrik Landberg says it has been a groundbreaking contract fit for a groundbreaking project. The first of six “smart cities” planned by the Saudis, KAEC is expected to house 2 million residents by 2020, in an area three times bigger than Manhattan. The city, which is located on the Red Sea, is divided into zones dedicated for commercial, industrial, educational and residential use. It will also include a resort area with a yacht harbor.

For Ericsson, the deal marks a number of milestones in Saudi Arabia: the first fiber-optic contract; the first delivery of GPON-enabled IPTV; and the first fixed-network IMS contract where Ericsson provides systems integration and network-rollout services.

“The vision for KAEC is an ‘intelligent’ city that is at the forefront of broadband communication,” Landberg says. “They intend it to be a magnet for Saudi Arabia’s growing young professional segment by delivering a high standard of living and, importantly, providing the latest communication services and solutions.”

The contract brings together products from Ericsson's major fixed-line acquisitions – Entrisphere (for GPON), Marconi (for Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing optical transmission), Redback (for Core and Edge IP routers) and TANDBERG Television (for IPTV) – and the company’s complete Managed Services operations.

“Ericsson will enable the residential and enterprise customers in KAEC to receive IPTV, personalized movies, IP telephony, high-definition video-on-demand, interactive games and other advanced multimedia services for TV, PC and telephones,” Landberg says.

The partnership with Emaar offers Ericsson a unique opportunity to showcase its leadership in the areas of broadband and fixed networks. “Ericsson has a complete end-to-end solution, from services, service delivery platform and infrastructure to deployment capabilities, as well as the scale and experience to operate the entire network for this world-class, intelligent city.”

Jan Kemvall, President, Ericsson Saudi Arabia, says: “It is a great privilege to be Emaar’s partner in building King Abdullah Economic City. There are many opportunities to add value because we will deliver and operate the communication infrastructure throughout the city.”