NEC will be embarking on a new smart city project in collaboration with the government of New South Wales (NSW). The initiative entails a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between the two parties and the NEC Corporation’s NEC Australia subsidiary.

The MoU specifically details plans for a Digital Safer and Smarter City environment, which will be realized with NEC’s entire technology portfolio. To that end, the company will be outfitting NSW with biometric, 5G, and IoT capabilities, while the project itself will have five key areas of focus, including Public Safety, Aviation, Health, Transportation, and Digital Government.

With that in mind, the three parties will first turn their attention to Sydney’s Central Station, where they will be trying to build an Innovation and Technology Precinct. They will then expand the scope of the project with health, education, and transportation efforts in precincts in Williamtown, Parkes, and Wagga Wagga.

“This strategic partnership will help us become an attractive precinct for global and domestic business and investors, while at the same time providing innovative experiences for the people of NSW,” said Stuart Ayres, the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney.

NEC and the NSW government believe that the MoU will lead to job opportunities for the people hired to build the smart city infrastructure. The two companies have collaborated on other digital transformation projects in the past.

“The fact that the NSW government is intent on spreading this technology, not only across Sydney, but across the state, shows that it is serious about digital technology innovation and the opportunities it brings all communities,” said NEC Australia Managing Director and ANZ CEO Mitsuhiro Murooka.

The news demonstrates that government contracts are still a priority for NEC Australia despite the company’s ongoing legal dispute with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. In the meantime, NEC is moving forward with a similar smart city project in the province of Cordoba in Spain.