HKTDC Holds Tech Trends Symposium 2020

Industry leaders introduced the latest developments in 5G networks and expressed the hope that Hong Kong will keep pace with the world in moving towards 5G and building a smart city at a session titled 'Empowering a Connected Future with 5G.'

FREMNT, CA: Hong Kong's fifth-generation mobile network (5G) completed linking of all major communication equipment at the beginning of April this year, marking a historic milestone for communications technology. A 5G network provides much more than just increased bandwidth and speed. The technology provides the opportunity to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technology to bring the much-discussed Internet of Things (IoT) out of the laboratory and into the real world. To give people from all walks of life a better understanding of 5G networks, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) held the Tech Trends Symposium 2020 - The Future of Intelligent Connectivity on 28 July.

"Network technology in Hong Kong has advanced step by step in recent decades from voice and data Internet access to the latest 5G networks. The speed and usage pattern of the network had improved. During the 2G and 3G eras, watching videos was just about viewing. With 4G came high-definition videos and video conferences but the network was prone to time delays and freezes or even bad frames on screen," said Henry Wong, Head of Strategic Wireless Technology and Core Networks at local telecommunications company HKT Limited.

Industry leaders introduced the latest developments in 5G networks and expressed the hope that Hong Kong will keep pace with the world in moving towards 5G and building a smart city at a session titled 'Empowering a Connected Future with 5G.' The symposium was streamed online, forming a part of the HKTDC's Summer Sourcing Weeks GO ONLINE virtual trade fair (27 July - 7 August).

"5G networks could turn the established business-to-customer (B2C) model on its head and profoundly change consumers' experiences," said Justin Chuang, Vice President, Communications Technologies at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). Citing examples, he said, "real-time augmented reality (AR), a 360-degree visual experience and ultra-clear imaging will profoundly change traditional marketing and publicity models. Business-to-business (B2B) transactions could expand in scale, while autonomous vehicles, smart offices and smart factories could be linked up through 5G systems to improve productivity."