An expanding portfolio of industrial clusters and innovation assets distributed around the country is proving beneficial to the realisation of Oman’s ambitious Smart City agenda, according to a key report released here recently by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MCTIT).
Titled, ‘Towards Oman’s First National Smart City Stack’, the report was compiled by Connecting Places Catapult, a UK-based innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and places. It was commissioned by the UK Science and Innovation Network with a view to supporting the work of the Oman’s Smart City Platform.
Launched in 2017, the Smart City Platform has been billed as a “national ambition” in the Oman Vision 2040 strategy, given its potential to drive economic growth, job creation and diversification away from oil-based exports, according to the report. It credits the government for rolling out several pilots and tools to support the emergence of the platform across the country, and increasingly in collaboration with academia and the private sector.
Importantly, the new report lists a number of established or planned industrial, economic and innovation based developments that bode well for the achievement of the government’s Smart City agenda. It includes industrial zones with ambitions to evolve into ‘New Cities’ in their own right. Notable is the example of Duqm Smart City, which will cater to the residential requirements of the industrial hub’s workforce when key mega projects are operational in the coming years. “If successful, the city will be a model for future developments in Oman,” says the report.
Another promising component is represented by new mixed-use districts, it further points out. One such example of a mixed-use district is Madinat Al Irfan, an upscale township coming up in the capital city. It is expected to house 300,000 residents, as well as hotels, shopping centres and parks, all of which will be managed as part of a smart ecosystem.
“Innovations will also include smart meters to reduce resource demand, water recycling, urban farms and buildings that use thermal cooling architectural techniques,” according to the report.
Also bolstering Oman’s Smart City agenda is the presence of high-tech knowledge parks, such as Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) near Rusayl. Home to over 190 future-focused local, regional and international organisations, KOM also features Innovation Park Muscat, which hosts facilities aimed at “augmenting Oman’s entrepreneurial, economic and knowledge base”, says the report.
In addition to a growing network of industrial cities managed by Madayn (The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates), Oman also features a number of data and tech demonstrator zones that advance the National Smart City agenda.
One such facility is envisioned in Salalah Free Zone, which had signed an agreement valued at $350 million last year for the establishment of a tech city featuring a Data Park, technology academy and supporting facilities.
Thus, in essence, Oman has all the raw materials to become a leading Smart City player, the report stresses. “But as with all Smart City programmes, there are always opportunities to be leveraged to accelerate and optimise their delivery. When looking at areas of opportunity to develop Smart Cities in Oman, the right legislation, policy, standards and regulation will enable the government to guide the development and growth of the sector and of regional development,” it further adds.
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