NEC Corporation, on Tuesday announced that NEC India and AP Technology Services Limited (APTS), a wholly owned state company of Andhra Pradesh, India that develops  IT, electronics and communications services, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in the areas of information technology for smart city initiatives in the state.
 
The MoU was signed at an official ceremony in Japan in the presence of Mr. Yosuke Takagi, State Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry, Japan and Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
 
Under the agreement, NEC will work in collaboration with APTS in designing and implementing the Safe City Project at Tirupati, India. The core focus of the project will be making the city more secure and safer for its citizens through technological innovations. NEC will support APTS in implementing the Safe City Project in Tirupati along with creating an environment that is attractive to investors by providing leading solutions and technologies, including facial recognition systems and automated fingerprint identification systems.
 
As part of the Safe City Project at Tirupati, both parties agreed to explore collaboration in a range of areas, including Cyber Security in response to increasing cyber threats in India, as well as Smart Transportation for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) sector in order  to improve operational efficiency and increase passenger satisfaction by utilizing the latest ICT solutions.
 
In addition to the Safe City Project, NEC will study the possibilities of establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) and a Development Centre (DC) that could assist with R&D, capacity building and offer consulting on a wide variety of technological projects.
 
“We are thrilled with the opportunity to work closely with the Andhra Pradesh government in contributing to the state’s vision of creating a better society and a safe habitat for its citizens. We are confident that NEC’s technological capabilities, global experience and local understanding, in partnership with APTS, will bring new value to the safe city projects in Andhra Pradesh,” said Koichiro Koide, Managing Director, NEC India.
 
Leveraging the experience gained in this project, NEC aims to provide similar services and to contribute to additional smart and safe city projects throughout India.