08/12/2015

– Qatar’s Corporations Collaborate for the Development of Smart Metering Solutions

Ooredoo has today announced the completion of a successful Smart Metering trial in collaboration with Lusail Real Estate Development Company with support from Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) for the creation of the region’s first large-scale greenfield smart city.

The trial, which used an IP-based multi-vendor Smart Metering set-up, was conducted in the Ooredoo Advanced Smart Innovative Solutions (OASIS) Lab in Doha.

The successful trial is a major step forward for Qatar, as the country has ambitious plans for the construction of numerous smart cities. Consequently, the results from the completion of the smart metering trial will be used as a blueprint for the system in Lusail city.

Smart meters are the next generation of power meters, delivering a range of intelligent functions, including enabling homeowners to understand how much energy they are using on a display in their home, and helping city planners manage demand for water and power.

Lusail City, a flagship project of the Qatari Diar, is the largest single development to be undertaken in the State of Qatar. It will provide a switched on, high-technology environment comprising both wired and wireless communication networks on the Ooredoo Supernet, deploying smart city technology to reduce environmental impact and enhance the lifestyles of residents and visitors.

Waleed Al Sayed, CEO, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “I am pleased to announce that we were able to achieve a 100% success rate in communicating meter reading data through an IP network. This achievement shows that we are making great strides in bringing the ‘smart city’ concept to reality in Lusail city, and with the continued support of LREDC and government authorities such as Kahramaa, we are confident that our solutions can continue to contribute to the Qatar National Vision 2030 of transforming Qatar into an advanced digital country with smart citizens.”

Essa Kaldari, CEO, Lusail Real Estate Development Company (LREDC), said: “Smart Meters are the future of sustainable energy consumption and they will become a fundamental part of Qatar’s future development. Lusail City is a shining example of environmental innovation, a hugely advantageous characteristic for those residing and conducting business and pleasure activities in the district. Not only does it make practical financial and environmental sense to use Smart Meters, but the system represents just one section of a much larger centralised infrastructure network, which provides world-class, centrally-controlled services in Qatar.”

Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has previously shared its plans to deploy smart meters in Qatar by 2016, which will mark the first deployment of its kind in the GCC.

The tests achieved 100% success rate in communicating the data from meters through an IP network, demonstrating the incredible progress being made in laying the technological foundations for Lusail City.

The “smart city” concept is central to the long-term development of Qatar and with the Qatar National Vision 2030 of enabling a smart economy, smart mobility, cleaner environment and “The Partnership between Lusail Real Estate Development Company and Ooredoo has been going from strength to strength since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2012. Ooredoo was the ideal partner to help us design and facilitate the practical, efficient, digitalised and centralised Smart Meter System and we are delighted with the progress of the trial,” said Essa Kaldari.

Ooredoo has a host of smart services as part of its growing next-generation portfolio. Other solutions currently being developed at Ooredoo’s OASIS Lab include Smart Home Automation, Out of Country Disaster Recovery, Cloud Security, Cloud Email Security Solutions, Smart Healthcare Solutions, Smart Cloud Marketplace, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart City Platform and M2M Solutions.

As Lusail accelerates towards development it promises to deliver smart solutions to its residents and businesses in collaboration with its technology partner, Ooredoo.