In recent years, Hong Kong has made significant strides in its smart city initiative, with the government and private sector collaborating to implement a range of digital solutions across transportation, healthcare, public services, and more. However, the full potential of these smart city applications has often been limited by the constraints of traditional wireless connectivity solutions.
Hong Kong continues to take significant steps forward in leveraging cutting-edge technologies to drive innovation and efficiency. Most recently is the adoption of private 5G (P5G) networks enabling a new wave of smart city applications and use cases.
Unlike public 5G networks, P5G offers enterprises and organisations a dedicated, highly secure, and reliable wireless connectivity solution that is tailored to their specific needs. Touted as a game-changer, P5G enables the deployment of mission-critical applications that demand fast data transfer speeds, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity.
Early adopters of P5G in Hong Kong have already witnessed the transformative impact of this technology. For instance, the Hong Kong International Airport implemented a P5G network to power its autonomous baggage handling system, dramatically improving efficiency and reducing operational costs.
Similarly, the city's public transportation network has leveraged P5G to enable real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance of its rail infrastructure, ensuring smoother and safer journeys for commuters.
Building on these successes, NTT Com Asia (NTT) launched docomo 5G DX Square – an innovation lab in Hong Kong that is poised to accelerate the city's smart city transformation. As the first service provider to receive the Localized Wireless Broadband System (Private) License from Hong Kong's Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), NTT is pioneering the deployment of P5G networks in the city.
The docomo 5G DX Square provides a dedicated, high-performance, and scalable P5G platform for startups, enterprises, academics, and local vendors to co-develop and test cutting-edge AI, edge computing, and IoT applications for smart city use cases.
This ecosystem approach, combined with NTT's expertise and resources, aims to unlock entirely new possibilities for Hong Kong's smart city initiatives, cementing the city's status as a leading technology and innovation hub in the region.
As the global private 5G network market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 54.1% from 2024 to 2030, reaching up to US$36 billion, Hong Kong's smart city pioneers are poised to capitalize on this transformative technology, ushering in a new era of efficiency, sustainability, and innovation for the city.
