Dubai Internet City team heads to Trivandrum for talks with Kerala Government

The Dubai Internet City team, comprised of Fareed Abdulrahman, Deepak Padmanabhan, Dr. Baju George and Deepti Khosla, will hold extensive talks on the project to be established jointly by the Kerala Government and Dubai Internet City.

"Together with the Kerala Government, we look forward to establishing a clear understanding on taking the SmartCity project forward," said Fareed Abdulrahman, Executive Director of TECOM International, a division of TECOM that manages its international projects.

As part of its strategic international expansion, Dubai Internet City is seeking to create a global network of knowledge-industry business campuses. SmartCity@Kochi is planned to be a key part of this network.

"We are extremely excited by the potential of the project in Kochi," Abdulrahman said. "The state has a large pool of skilled human resources, a key factor in the success of such a project. We have been encouraged by the fact that the Government of India has granted Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status to the project. One of the key objectives of the project is to contribute to the economic development of Kerala, which in the long run will contribute to the success of the initiative."

In March, Dubai Internet City signed an agreement with the Government of Malta to establish SmartCity@Malta, a US$ 308 million business park for knowledge-based companies. The master plan of the project is currently in the final stages of design.

Dubai Internet City is also in discussions with various other cities in India to establish business campuses that will be part of its global network.