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United Development Co. to create world-class connected island with Cisco technology

Cisco announced today that the United Development Co. (UDC) of Qatar has selected it to help create a world-class digital island, The Pearl-Qatar.





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The QR55bn ($15bn) island, which is expected to host more than 41,000 regional and international residents by 2011, will utilize Cisco technology and service solutions that will help enable high-quality end-user experiences. Mannai Corporation, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner, will be handling the supply, installation and testing of the telecommunications network solution.

The deployment of an infrastructure based on Cisco technology entails the design of a network that will help provide residents with differentiated and customizable services anytime, anywhere and to virtually any device. These include wired and wireless home networking, high-speed connectivity and IPTV services.

UDC will also deploy the Cisco Connected Real Estate solution, a multi-service Internet Protocol (IP) platform and network framework that integrates multiple technologies and allows for the convergence of data, voice and video simultaneously.

Eric Lebrun, executive vice president of assets management at The Pearl-Qatar, said:

'This iconic island is set to completely revolutionize Qatar's landscape, and is part of the country's ambitious plans to provide a new generation of high-bandwidth services to both residents and visitors alike. We are building one of the world's smartest developments that will redefine smart living on a global level.'



Lebrun continued: 'We have chosen to work with Cisco as we are confident that our strategic collaboration will enable not just end-to-end connectivity, but also create world-class experiences through changing the way that people interact with content, services and each other, in a highly secure way.'

Keith Higley, managing director of Mannai Corp., said: 'Mannai Corporation has always been dedicated to helping its customers achieve significant returns through deploying leading edge technologies. By working closely with industry leaders, like Cisco, we will be providing The Pearl-Qatar with a fast, reliable and secure infrastructure that will create a world-class interactive environment for residents.'

Sam Alkharrat, managing director of Cisco Gulf and Pakistan, said: 'Today's announcement is a major step forward in accelerating the adoption of technology solutions by harnessing two of Cisco's major capabilities: networking and Connected Real Estate solutions. This project will attract residents from across the globe and spark additional foreign investments while greatly benefiting the operators, owners and tenants of the island. '

The Cisco Connected Real Estate initiative, which was developed in the Gulf region and quickly became a globally replicable model, has the potential to play a major role in transforming real estate developments in emerging economies.

The collaboration between Cisco and UDC was announced during Cisco Expo Qatar, a technology forum that attracted more than 350 of Qatar's top business and technology decision makers to share ideas and best practices.

The Pearl-Qatar is the largest island in Qatar's waters. During the two-year land reclamation process, 4 million square meters of new land were created with a 32-kilometer shoreline, three coves and navigable canals in addition to numerous other features.

A jewel in the Arabian Gulf, The Pearl-Qatar is the country's first international urban development. It will be home to approximately 41,000 residents in more than 15,000 dwellings within 10 precincts by 2011.




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ABOUT THE PEARL-QATAR

About The Pearl Qatar:
The Pearl-Qatar is an a multi-billion dollar offshore, Riviera-style man-made island, covering 985 acres of reclaimed land with an estimated cost of QR55bn. It is Qatar'sQatar's first international real estate venture, one of the largest real estate developments in the country and the first to offer freehold and residential rights to international investors. It will create over 32 kilometers 30 kilometres of new coastline.

The Pearl-Qatar's name and location, on a former pearl diving site, highlights the country's traditions, and strong historical and cultural ties to the sea. It is an island rediscovered.

The Pearl-Qatar will eventually house 4140,000 residents in an up-scale, multi-cultural residential community which will be a secure and exclusive island retreat bringing the ambience and lifestyle of the Mediterranean to the heart of Arabia.

The four-phase development comprises 10 distinct districts to be developed over a period of five years. The Riviera Arabia themed districts will house three luxury hotels, two boutique hotels, three marinas with combined mooring for over 1004 boats, and more than 2 million square feet of luxury retail, recreation and restaurant space.

Built 350 meters offshore of the West Bay Lagoon area of the country's capital, Doha, the Island will offer an exclusive retreat with easy access to the capital's thriving community.

The Pearl-Qatar is being developed and promoted by United Development Company (UDC), one of Qatar's leading private sector shareholding companies.

ABOUT UNITED DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (UDC)

United Development Company (UDC) is one of the country's leading public shareholding companies. UDC's mission is to identify and invest in long-term projects contributing to Qatar's growth and providing good shareholder value. The company was established in July 1999 and has an authorized share capital of QR1.072bn ($294m),. It was listed on the Doha Securities Market in June 2003, and is a Gulf Business Top 100 company.

UDC's target areas of interest include: infrastructure, energy-intensive industries, downstream hydrocarbons, real estate, construction and environment-related businesses. UDC established the Qatar Dredging Company (QDC), a joint venture with the State of Qatar and Belgium's Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering NV, and formed Qatar Cool, a district cooling company, in partnership with Tabreed of the United Arab Emirates. UDC also partnered with Seef Limited, a joint venture with Qatar Petroleum, to develop a plant to produce linear alkyl benzene (LAB), which is the main feedstock for detergent manufacture. The plant started operations in March 2006 with a production capacity of 100,000 tons a year. UDC has also invested in the Gulf Formaldehyde Company as a joint venture partner with Qatar Fertilizer Company (QAFCO) and other Qatari investors. Operations began in 2004.

In mid-2006, United Development Company entered into a new joint venture with BESIX NV of Belgium to establish a ready-mix concrete facility, with shareholding split between UDC (32%) and BESIX NV (49%). The remaining shares were acquired by local Qatari investors. Production began in June 2006. On May 31, 2006 UDC entered into a partnership with a Turkish biological wastewater treatment company (Millenya Inc.). Under the terms of this partnership, UDC acquired 60% of Millenya's equity.

United Development Company's latest business partnership was signed on November 28, 2006 when the company concluded a joint venture agreement with Spain's Ronautica S.A. The agreement saw the establishment of Ronautica-Middle East, a Marina Operations and Management Company. UDC holds a 60% stake while Ronautica S.A. holds the remaining 40% in the new firm.

UDC's founders, who at launch held 45% of the shares, are among Qatar's most successful investors and developers. A large number of Qatari and GCC investors are shareholders in UDC.

About Cisco
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in the Middle East is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, and Cisco Systems are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Anne-Birte Stensgaard Posted by Anne-Birte Stensgaard, Senior News Editor
Wednesday, April 23 - 2008 at 13:24 UAE local time (GMT+4)

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