According to a press release, the largest telecommunications operator in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) recently and announced the signing of a strategic agreement to collaborate in research and development of 5G technology, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) data exchange, and other technologies to help accelerate Hong Kong’s development in establishing a Smart City.
Concurrently, the telecom firm will partner with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) on various 5G technology-related projects at Hong Kong Science Park including an autonomous vehicle trial.
As one of the city’s leading mobile communications brands, the telecom firm has supported the development of Smart City in Hong Kong for a long time.
Through the strategic cooperation with ASTRI, Hong Kong’s largest applied science and technology research centre, the firm will fund ASTRI’s research and development of an edge computing platform, which will potentially overcome the inadequacies of cloud computing, while enabling even faster data processing and analysis to support ultra-low latency applications such as autonomous vehicles.
Moreover, the telecom company and ASTRI also plan to conduct an autonomous vehicle trial over a 6 to 12 month period at Hong Kong Science Park, to facilitate the system’s awareness monitoring within the 5G networks and to initiate research on related technologies.
Announced earlier, the telecom firm is the first network provider to complete the Commercial Equipment Field-Testing of 28GHz 5G base stations and antenna in Hong Kong, carried out at Science Park. In these tests, the 5G network was connected to the 5G routers, which allowed non-5G mobile phones to connect to the Internet with connection speeds of up to 500Mbps.
The test was also demonstrated at the “Smart@Hong Kong: Our Smart City Journey” Conference, symbolising a milestone in the collaboration between the firm and HKSTP on 5G technology development.
In addition, the telecom firm plans to relocate its 5G Innovation Centre “Hong Kong Open Lab” to Hong Kong Science Park in the first quarter of 2019, to join the innovation and technology ecosystem at the Park and further develop 5G mobile service applications.
The telecom firm is also actively exploring other innovative 5G-related applications, such as applying AR/VR in entertainment and education. Other applications, such as palm print and facial recognition systems that apply biometric and AI image analysis, are expected to be utilised in payment tools and high-security authentication systems in the future.
The Director and Chief Executive Officer of the telecom company noted that their partnerships with ASTRI and HKSTP will help in the promotion and development of 5G – important elements in establishing Hong Kong as a Smart City.
The companies will proactively cooperate with different industries and apply 5G to advance designs and services to promote Smart City development in Hong Kong.
Concurrently, next-generation innovation and technology talent will be nurtured. It is hoped that more opportunities for local talents to join the science and technology industry through this competition will be created.
The CEO of ASTRI stated that the evolution of Smart City will bring significant opportunities for sustainable economic development in Hong Kong and neighbouring areas. The collaboration with the telecom firm will deliver fruitful results, advance the development of the innovation technology ecosystem, establish Hong Kong as an international innovation centre, and steer towards the Hong Kong Government’s innovation-led vision.
The Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP stated that the collaboration will enable the companies to continue working on the innovation and technology ecosystem to promote the co-creation and applications of 5G technologies in various scopes and achieve Hong Kong’s vision of a Smart City through joint efforts.
