HONG KONG, June 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong SAR government has stepped up its Smart City development efforts in recent years. Aligned with the increasing trends to leverage shared data, China Mobile Hong Kong and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) have partnered to introduce Hong Kong's first application of Blockchain-based Internet of Things (IoT) technology. China Mobile Group's OneNET IoT Platform and ASTRI's Blockchain solution come together for a combined application that is being demonstrated for the first time during Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2019 from 26-28 June 2019.
For the first time ever, the power of Blockchain technology is being applied to an IoT application whereby data is collected and stored in real-time – making it safer, traceable and verifiable. The conventional, centralised system of IoT data collection and storage doesn't use any encryption, making it vulnerable to attack or tampering. However, with the distributed data storage method of Blockchain, encryption protects the data from tampering. Its traceable features ensure stability and security of data. Combined together, Blockchain and IoT address supervision problems, reduce cost of operations, facilitating a wide of applications in everyday life. Overall, the solution can significantly help the development of Smart City.
China Mobile Hong Kong and ASTRI have been invited to showcase the IoT and Blockchain technology at MWC Shanghai, organised by GSM Association (GSMA) from 26-28 June 2019. Simulated data is collected from vehicles, smart lampposts and parking lots, and transferred to China Mobile Group OneNET's equipment management and applied development open source platform. The data is then stored and processed by ASTRI's intelligent IoT and Blockchain technology platform with full-proof tamper protection. When visitors request access to IoT data from touch-screen computers or smartphones, the system makes a record, making sure the user can only access the data he/she is permitted to view, and the data source is reliable. At MWC Shanghai 2019, ASTRI and CMHK will also showcase applications of various sensors in an urban environment and data collection from different sources in future smart city environment. Visitors will understand the use of the IoT and Blockchain technology and personally experience its applications.
"This development successfully shows that upon signing the strategic cooperation agreement, China Mobile Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, have been able to make good use of each other's expertise and work together to bring about mutual benefits. The approach of the 5G era will help promote IoT applications on a large scale. The production of large quantities of data will help analysis become more accurate and better reflect the needs of the market IoT and Blockchain technology cooperative operations, help us to create a safe and reliable public data platform and help construct an outstanding and reliable foundation for the smart city development in Hong Kong," said Mr Sean Lee, Director and Chief Executive Officer of China Mobile Hong Kong.
"ASTRI is one of the first institutions in Hong Kong to apply Blockchain technology across different industries, including finance, real estate and manufacturing among others. We are delighted to work with China Mobile Hong Kong – showcasing the combined technological wonders of IoT and Blockchain. We are also bringing Blockchain to the telecommunications industry, for the first time, adding new elements to the IoT ecosystem and fostering Smart City development," said Mr Hugh Chow, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI.
China Mobile Hong Kong and ASTRI will continue this close partnership and bring about new dimensions to strongly facilitate Smart City applications, promote the development of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area as a world-class centre of excellence for science and technology in the future.
About China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited
China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited ("CMHK") is the wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited (HKEx: 941) (NYSE: CHL), which ranks 53th on the Fortune Global 500. CMHK was incepted in January 1997 and was the first mobile network operator to launch PCS services in Hong Kong.
The Company offers innovative and comprehensive communications services, including voice, data, IDD and international roaming through 4G LTE, 3GHSPA, GPRS, EDGE and other technologies. The Company is committed to the development of 5G network, combining with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud computing and big data, integrating 5G applications in different industries, promoting the construction and development of smart city groups in Greater Bay Area.
* China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited. As of 31 December 2017, China Mobile Limited had the largest number of mobile network subscribers in the world.
About ASTRI
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. ASTRI's core R&D competence in various areas is organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Mixed Signal Systems IC, Advanced Digital Systems, Electronics Components, Intelligent Sensing Technology System, Intelligent Software and Systems, Security and Data Sciences, and Communications Technologies. Our R&D strategic focus covers five areas of applications: Financial Technologies, Intelligent Manufacturing, Health Technologies, Smart City, and Application Specific Integrated Circuits through our mandate as the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre (CNERC). Visit www.astri.org for more information.
Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190626/2509048-1-a
Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190626/2509048-1-b
