To support the Saudi Downtown Company’s (SDC) initiative to develop modern Smart City mixed-use communities across the Kingdom, GTS contributed services aligned with the vision for the Hail Downtown project. Rooted in Vision 2030, the development aims to create a vibrant residential and touristic destination that integrates with the surrounding Aja Mountains and wadis. The project focuses on interconnected open spaces, walkable neighborhoods, and cohesive urban clusters that strengthen community life while addressing current challenges in Hail, such as fragmented development and limited green areas. GTS’s work supported planning efforts that enhance connectivity, improve urban continuity, and position the landscape as a defining feature of the city’s identity.

The fiber backbone is designed to be flexible in what it can be used for, and expandable to other phases, with common splice vaults at regular intervals and many physical redundancy features. Our scope included several additional elements, such as wi-fi coverage plans, a layout for a network operations center, and an overall Smart City layout for the entire development, showing the distribution of equipment and infrastructure. Essential to the project’s success, we also included specifications for a unified platform to manage all the Smart City elements, such as weather sensors, smart signage, parking guidance signs, mobility systems, and utility services; and a telecommunication network connecting all components to an overarching command and control center. Topography was also considered; set against the backdrop of the Aja Mountains, the site has geographic constraints that were taken into consideration in all phases.

A Smart City begins with the right infrastructure, planned and designed for flexible, adaptable, and expandable connectivity. The outcome of this project will be a world-class development that will place Ha’il on the world map, showcasing the impact of Smart Cities as they continue to become more widespread.