Revamping the mobile network infrastructure of a developing country to prepare for the foundation of smart cities -

Abstract

In the context of developing environments, and based on the list of findings I came up with for the developed and rich developing countries, I proposed a smart city project to be implemented in Lebanon, along with its corresponding driving forces; provided that Touch mobile operator is the initiator of the idea and has to have a major role in its accomplishment. The driving forces include the motivators and objectives of the initiative, its scope, the stakeholders involved and their contribution to it, the value chain comprising the four pillars or activities required in relation to capitals, labor, ICT and city infrastructures’ provision, and the business model used to achieve the goals of the initiative. Bearing in mind that Touch, under the supervision of the MoT, is the leader of the initiative and responsible for the bulk of the ICT provision, I performed an in-depth technical analysis to benchmark the capabilities of Touch mobile network with the global ICT infrastructure requirements in smart cities, particularly regarding the network layer, as well as proposed plausible technical solutions for the shortfalls and evaluated the financial viability of some. For that reason, I conducted several interviews with people from Touch Technical, IT, Finance, and Commercial departments, and from Huawei Technologies which are the main providers of network equipment for Touch. This step within my feasibility study was crucial to assess the likelihood that Touch will be able to meet the requirements and thus contribute to the project, as outlined in the business model adopted. I eventually used the technical analysis to translate the business need that Touch is intended to fulfill in this project.