According to a recent report, the largest telecommunications operator in Hong Kong and a property company have jointly held what they are calling Hong Kong’s first in-mall 5G experience showcase.
The Future is Now 5G Experience Showcase, which was held over four days, comprised six experience zones intended to introduce ad demonstrate 5G technology.
These zones were based around concepts including autonomous vehicles, smart glasses and a machine that purports to be unbeatable at the game of rock-paper-scissors by using 5G leased lines and a sensory system to detect gestures as they are thrown.
Other zones highlighted the speed improvement between 4G and 5G, the potential of 5G technology in smart city development and a start-up exhibition based on IoT technology.
The chairman of the telco noted that out of Hong Kong’s many mobile carriers, the telecommunications firm is the first network provider to receive the 5G trial permit, and has succeeded in engineering Hong Kong’s first end-to-end 5G network testing as well as the first Commercial Equipment Field-Testing of 28GHz 5G base stations.
Moreover, in the future, CMHK will continue to adhere to the concept of ‘4G changes lives, 5G changes society’ by presenting “5G+ Project” in three agendas: firstly, to complement the existing 4G network with 5G infrastructure; to promote 5G with new networking technology; and develop more comprehensive 5G ecosystems to maximize the value of 5G.
The 5G goals of the Hong Kong Government
In October 2018, OpenGov Asia reported that Hong Kong’s small size and high population density has enabled the country to extensively rollout fixed broadband infrastructure and provide almost all households with access to high-speed broadband connectivity. This has propelled Hong Kong to boast of having the highest peak average broadband speeds in the world.
Compared to other Asian nations, Hong Kong has a very high mobile, mobile broadband and fixed broadband penetration.
Broadband investment initially focused on DSL and HFC technology platforms although operators have switched focus to higher bandwidth fibre access platforms, due to inherent advantage of fibre access networks over competing platforms, especially in the geographically compact territory of Hong Kong.
A December 2018 press release noted that the first batch of 4,100 MHz of spectrum that can be used for fifth-generation mobile (5G) services will be assigned in April 2019 at the earliest for deployment by the operators.
The Government announced the decision after public consultations. It said the 4,100 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands will be the first batch available for use for the provision of 5G services.
Among them, 3,700 MHz of spectrum will be assigned for the provision of large scale public mobile services across the city. Applications for assignment of the spectrum were invited before the end of 2018.
The remaining 400 MHz of spectrum will be set aside for the provision of localised innovative 5G services to specific groups of users, and applications for assignment will be invited in the second quarter of 2019.
It was also announced that a total of 380 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, 3.3 GHz band and 4.9 GHz band would be auctioned by batches in mid-2019.
The Hong Kong Government is thus working to boost the 5G capabilities of the region. In 2019 it will continue, if not boost, collaborations with industry partners and companies. The government of Hong Kong expects the territory to be among the world’s earliest adopters of 5G mobile technology in 2020.
