The Gulf Is Switching to Smart Street Lighting. Here’s What It Means for Saudi Projects

Across the Gulf, municipalities and road authorities are replacing traditional street lamps with smart LED lighting. Recent projects in the UAE and Qatar, together with Saudi Arabia’s national LED program, show how fast the region is moving.

Fujairah completes its smart LED roads program

In June 2026, Fujairah Municipality reported that it had finished a multi-phase program across Fujairah City and Dibba Al Fujairah. The program replaced conventional sodium lamps with smart LED streetlights, and the municipality says it has cut electricity use and maintenance costs while making roads safer.

Qatar plans smart LED lighting on every street

Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) plans to convert all street lighting to smart LED systems by 2027. Work started on major highways and will then move to internal streets.

Saudi Arabia aims to lead the G20

In Saudi Arabia, the National Energy Services Company (Tarshid) has said the Kingdom aims to be the first G20 country to convert all its street lights to LED. The program supports Vision 2030’s energy-efficiency goals.

What’s driving the shift?

• Lower energy use: LED replaces high-consumption sodium and metal-halide lamps.
• Lower maintenance: longer-life fixtures mean fewer lamp changes and site visits.
• Safer roads: better light quality and uniformity improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians.
• Smarter control: connected street lighting can be dimmed, scheduled and monitored from one place.
• Sustainability targets: less electricity means lower carbon emissions.

Smart control is becoming more open

Lighting control standards are opening up as well. The DALI Alliance has introduced certification for gateways that connect DALI with Bluetooth and Zigbee wireless networks, along with DALI+ over Thread. In practice, wired and wireless controls can now work together in the same project.

What Saudi project owners should plan for

1. Specify control from day one: choose fixtures and drivers that are ready for dimming and remote monitoring, even if controls come later.
2. Consider solar where cabling is costly: on new or remote roads, solar street lights remove trenching and grid connection work.
3. Design for heat and dust: check IP ratings, thermal management and driver quality for Saudi conditions.
4. Ask for a lighting study: compare light levels and uniformity, not wattage alone.
5. Prefer local supply and support: fixtures made and serviced in the Kingdom simplify approvals, spare parts and local content requirements.

Alrouf smart street and outdoor lighting

Alrouf Lighting manufactures LED lighting in Saudi Arabia for roads, compounds and industrial sites. The range includes industrial and outdoor LED lighting, integrated solar street lights and smart lighting control solutions. The company also provides site survey, lighting design and installation. See our projects or download the Smart Lighting Control catalog.

Planning a road or municipal lighting project? Request a quote or email sales@alroufled.com

Sources

• Gulf News: Fujairah lights its roads with smart LED units
• Zawya: Qatar plan to convert all streets and roads to smart LED lighting by 2027
• Arab News: Saudi Arabia to become first G20 country to replace all street lights with LEDs
• DALI Alliance: DALI Alliance at Light + Building 2026