At the award presentation ceremony of the “Fifth Greater Bay Area 5G Application and Innovation Challenge” (the “5G Challenge”) organized by the Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance on 25 November, CTM, CITIC Telecom’s subsidiary received first prize for its “Macau Smart Tourism and MICE Solution” (the “Solution”). CTM also entered into the semifinals of the Ninth China Mobile Maker Marathon Competition held in Chongqing in early December to compete with teams from across the country. 

Themed “5G Smart Transformation, Infinite Innovation”, the 5G Challenge this year assessed entries for innovation, functionality, effectiveness, quality, market potential and social impacts. Centered-around the “Macau Smart Tourism AI Assistant” jointly launched with the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO), the Solution, which offers robust network assurance, leveraging 5.5G technology, can extend to cover conventions and exhibitions and other large-scale events, pointing to the huge potential of integrating communication and AI technologies in driving development of tourism and digital transformation of the convention and exhibition industry of Macau.

According to its Vice President, Commercial, Ebel Cham, CTM upgraded its 5G service to 5.5G in July this year, and being highly secure, extremely low in latency and highly reliable, the technology has allowed CTM to support services including network slicing and RedCap IoT, realizing inclusive network technology development. The award-winning solution leverages the network performance offered by 5.5G and incorporates big data and AI technologies for applying in tourism customer services, conventions and exhibitions, and large-scale events. This innovative approach reveals the tremendous potential of technological advancements in driving growth within the tourism and the convention and exhibition industry. Moving forward, CTM is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of emerging information technologies and collaborating with various sectors to create innovative smart applications for a wider range of scenarios.

Cham thanked the MGTO for its support to CTM and partnering with it in launching the “Macau Smart Tourism AI Assistant”, using innovative information technologies to enhance the travel experience of international tourists and spotlight the advantages of Macau as a “World Tourism and Leisure Center”.

The award presentation ceremony for the “5th Greater Bay Area 5G Application and Innovation Challenge” was held in the afternoon of 25 November at the Hong Kong Science Park. CTM invited Hoi Io Meng, Deputy Director of the MGTO to attend the event. Officiating guests included Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Tony Hau, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance; Kingsley Yeung, Assistant Director of the Office of the Communications Authority, HKSAR; Tony Wong, Commissioner for Digital Policy of the Digital Policy Office, HKSAR; Elizabeth Quat, Legislative Council Member (Election Committee), HKSAR; Duncan Chiu, Legislative Council Member (Technology and Innovation), HKSAR; Shen Weizhong, Director and Executive Vice President of China Mobile Hong Kong; and Sean Lee, Chief Consultant of China Mobile Hong Kong.