KDDI did not disclose the amount of the investment. The startup, established in 2016, offers a smart city platform using such technologies as internet of things and artificial intelligence to detect, analyze and solve problems in urban infrastructures in Indonesia, KDDI said in a news release Tuesday.

Qlue has helped raise city performances through cooperation with a number of authorities and companies in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia where urban infrastructures still need to be improved, according to the news release.

KDDI aims to use the tie-up to promote digital transformation in Southeast Asia, taking advantage of Qlue's smart city platform solutions and KDDI's business bases in the region and its general information technology solutions, it said.

The investment was made through KDDI Open Innovation Fund No. 3, a body launched in April 2018 by KDDI and fund operator Global Brain to invest in startups in and outside Japan.

The fund manages 20 billion yen ($182 million) and is planned to be run through March 2028. It has invested in 92 companies as of May 26, according to KDDI.

In 2019 it invested in Digital Alpha Group, a Singapore-based company offering small loans in Indonesia on an online peer-to-peer lending platform

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