NEC has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Telkom Indonesia as part of a collaboration to develop smart cities in Indonesia's new capital city, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

The MoU will also extend to other Indonesian cities, confirmed NEC.

According to NEC, the MoU aims to "create a more sustainable and livable environment for citizens by adopting digital technologies in city operations."

The duo plans to develop a strategy, roadmap, design, and implementation plan for smart cities in Indonesia, with the main goal of developing a smart city in Nusantara, which is planned to be operational by 2024.

"As a long-term trusted partner of Telkom Indonesia, NEC is honored to be given the opportunity to collaborate in accelerating the development of Smart Cities for Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) and other cities in Indonesia," said Joji Yamamoto, president, director, NEC Indonesia.

"We understand that each city has a different approach to creating a livable and sustainable space for citizens. NEC has been supporting many cities globally, focusing on overcoming social challenges by digitally transforming governance, environment, society, and economy to enrich the lives of citizens."

Nusantara is being built on the island of Borneo, 800 miles away from the current capital, Jakarta, on the island of Java, which is overcrowded and threatened by climate change.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo plans to build an entirely new "green" capital by clearing virgin rain forest on Borneo, and has decreed that on 17 August 2024, the role of the capital city will shift to what is currently a vast building site.

From that date, the government is planning to relocate key functions to Nusantara.

In January, the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) said it's aiming to have the telecoms infrastructure in Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, operational by August 2024.

In November, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) confirmed it's developing a 4G LTE network in the future capital.

IOH president and CEO Vikram Sinha said the company has invested around $10 million to deploy 30 to 40 base transceiver stations in Nusantara, on top of the 30 4G sites it already operates in the area.

Egypt is another country poised to build a new capital city, with the location set to be built in the desert 45km east of the current capital Cairo.