PCCW Global to develop a ‘smart city’ in South Africa

PCCW Global, Hong Kong Telecom’s (HKT’s) international operating division, has announced that it will provide the network infrastructure that will support a planned ZAR84 billion (USD7.95 billion) urban development in Modderfontein, which is located towards the north-east of Johannesburg. According to a company press release, the ‘smart city’, which will be built by China-based Shanghai Zendai Group, will consist of commercial, industrial and residential buildings, which could accommodate 30,000 households. According to the press release, the project will ‘draw on the expertise of HKT in delivering fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and related services’. The development is also expected to become a hub for Chinese firms investing in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as for those companies seeking to do business with China.