The contracts were signed between the Municipality of Nicosia and the Companies Logicom Solutions and CYTA for the project “Supply, installation and operation of infrastructure and smart city systems”
Nicosia is officially the first smart city in Cyprus. On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, the contracts for the start of the project “Supply, installation and operation of infrastructure and smart city systems” were signed between the Municipality of Nicosia and Logicom Solutions and CYTA, implementing the Integrated Smart City Strategy 2018-20 of the Municipality of Nicosia, which has been in force for the last five years.
The project is divided into two sections that will be implemented by two large groups of Companies, headed by Logicom Solutions and CYTA.
More specifically, section 1 concerns the Fiber Optic Network Infrastructure and the installation and operation of the Wireless Access Networks and IoT (Internet of Things) sensor networks for which provisions have been made in all the new infrastructures of the Municipality of Nicosia.
The Municipality of Nicosia has already installed the necessary infrastructure / piping for the installation of fiber optic network (Nicosia Fiber Network – NFN) in all projects that have been recently completed or implemented during this period (Commercial Triangle, Rigaini, Kyriakou Matsi, Kallipoleos, Plateia Freedom etc.).
Implemented by Logicom Solutions, Cisco, IoTech Systems and Cyta.
Section 2 concerns the operation of Infrastructure and Smart City Systems concerning:
Nicosia Wireless Network (NWN) of the Municipality of Nicosia (Wi-Fi)
System of electronic network announcements (info-points) and (digital signage) for highlighting and enhancing the tourist and cultural events of the capital.
Installation of smart lighting, since all projects include LED lighting, with a monitoring system and relative brightness adjustment depending on the traffic, which will improve road safety.
Environmental sensors monitoring system. With these environmental sensors, the dust in the atmosphere, the temperature, the air quality will be recorded and monitored so that there are measurable data that can be used to deal with climate change.
Smart waste monitoring system, with the aim of planning the collection of garbage, while saving valuable resources for the Municipality and improving the objectives of recycling.
Creation of an integrated system of sustainable mobility, supply and installation of infrastructure and systems for monitoring parameters of sustainable mobility and dynamic information of the interested parties (smart urban mobility).
Creating applications for forecasting traffic in the city, smart management and information for finding parking spaces (smart parking) aiming to reduce unnecessary travel, improving the traffic problem of the city and reducing pollutants.
An important factor for the successful implementation of the project is the supply and installation of the first Central Management System of a Smart City in Cyprus (data normalization and visualization platform), by CYTA in cooperation with the multinational company Nokia, which will be the main mechanism for the installation of a Smart City Command & Control Center within the Municipality of Nicosia.
Section 2 will be implemented in individual issues by NewCytech, Yodiwo, and Ernst & Young.
The duration of the project is expected to be 36 months but the first infrastructure and smart city systems will be available within 2021.
The Municipality of Nicosia aspires to make this project a model project for the development of similar smart city projects.
The project will be co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds, the Republic of Cyprus and the Municipality of Nicosia.
The Mayor of Nicosia, Konstantinos Giorkatzis, in his greeting during the signing of the contracts, analyzed the benefits resulting from the project, noting that the capital is the first city that through its digital transformation, will offer better services to its citizens, will be managed in a much better way. available resources and with less impact on the environment.
He added: “We are investing in infrastructure, policies and actions that will support entrepreneurship, through the use of data produced by the smart city from the Center for Excellence in Research and Innovation CYENS, located in the heart of Nicosia and whose Municipality leads. In collaboration with researchers, start-ups and of course the services of the Municipality, we aspire to contribute to the development of new innovative products, applications and services that will contribute to our goals “.
He also referred to the proposals for the extension of the smart city design submitted by the Municipality of Nicosia in the context of submitting proposals for the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF). These proposals were further specified and harmonized with the Integrated Spatial Development Strategy (SOHA) including smart city and e-government investments for 5 more municipalities in the major Nicosia area: Strovolos, Engomi, Aglantzia, Agios Dometios.
In her speech at the signing of the agreement, the President of CYTA, Mr. Rena Rouvitha Panou, underlined that within the framework of the Smart City project, the strategic decision of the digital transformation makes Nicosia a complete “smart city”. At Cyta, we feel special honor and pride for the opportunity given to us to contribute catalytically and reliably to this great project, with the great specialization of our human resources and our most modern technological infrastructures. Our active participation in the digital transformation of the Cypriot capital is a fundamental milestone in the historical path of CYTA and marks a new aspect in the two-way relationship of trust that we have created with the citizens. Through the speed of rapid technological change, today becomes tomorrow. And, today, it is clear that the future of Nicosia, and of our place, is digital “.
The CEO of Logicom Solutions, Mr. Chrysostomos Kritiotis, stated that “Logicom Solutions, together with CISCO – a pioneer in the field of digital infrastructure – is here to lay a solid foundation on which to build the smart city making Nicosia a more modern and efficient city “. With the implementation of modern infrastructures such as structured networks, fiber optic networks, LORAWAN and Wi-Fi, the possibility for easier and more constructive involvement and participation of the citizens in the decisions and activities of the Municipality will be given, he added.
He also pointed out that the highly trained team of engineers and architects of Logicom Solutions in collaboration with CISCO, fully aware of the importance of this project, designed a Smart City technological infrastructure solution based on best practices and experiences from similar projects abroad “which I am sure will bring the best possible result and will maximize the benefits to the city of Nicosia “.
