In view of the rapid growth of 5th generation mobile networks (5G) and the need for promotion of innovative developments arising from the continued expansion of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, China Mobile Hong Kong, China Mobile Guangdong, CTM and Guangdong Communication Industry Association have established The Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance. The collaboration aims to enhance and promote the development of 5G industries, especially for stakeholders and operators in the GBA. The Alliance seeks to foster development around such areas as the creation of international science and technology centres, cooperation between high-tech enterprises, leveraging different industry advantages cross-region, and the facilitation of industrial cooperation. It also seeks to nurture strategic development of new industries and groups, extending cooperation vertically across the industry chain, and the sharing and building of resources. In short, its mission is to aid in the construction of a win-win 5G ecology which will greatly aid the development of the smart city concept in GBA.

With the core principles of leading by strategy, collaborative innovation, industry progression, open sharing and win-win partnerships, the Alliance is dedicated to helping Hong Kong fully leverage its advantages within the GBA and becoming a champion of 5G and smart city development. It strives to help build a more comprehensive industry chain, lead the industry to evolve in a sustainable, rapid, and healthy manner, and to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration between 5G-related industries and organizations within the GBA. Enterprises will be able to complement each other’s strengths to overcome challenges. The Alliance will work together with academia, government and various stakeholders to build a 5G industry ecosystem, and drive forward 5G-related applications and the use of 5G technology.

To commemorate this special occasion, the Inauguration Ceremony of “The Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance” is held by the Alliance today (21st August) at the Hong Kong Science Park. Honorary presidents of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance and honourable guests join, including Dr. Li Feng, Chairman of China Mobile Hong Kong; Mr. Wei Ming, Chairman of China Mobile Group Guangdong; Mr. Xin Yuejiang, Chairman of CITIC Telecom International and CTM; Founding President of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance, Mr. Sean Lee, Director and Chief Executive Officer of China Mobile Hong Kong; and Mr. Leung Chun-yin, GBM, GBS, JP, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

During the event, the three honorary presidents present speeches and introduce the purpose of establishing the Alliance and its work to guests. 4G changes life, 5G changes society; 5G has become a hot topic, indicating that the importance of 5G is recognised by all across various business and social stakeholder circles. China Mobile has been actively promoting the development of 5G, and it has already started to build new 5G networks and educate the public about 5G. In the future, China Mobile will actively promote the 5G+ initiative, which facilitates the synchronization of 5G and 4G, further popularising the application of 5G and building a robust 5G+ ecosystem. The plan is letting 5G integrate into people’s lives and achieve the vision of 5G+X, which perfectly matches the aim of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance, said Dr. Li Feng, the Honorary President of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance and Chairman of China Mobile Hong Kong. The Alliance gathers elite companies and institutions from all circles within the GBA, and the synergistic effect will provide all-round support to its members. This will lead to resources integration among the industrial chain and achieving industrial agglomeration development, which creates many more business opportunities.

Mr. Wei Ming, Honorary President of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance and Chairman of China Mobile Guangdong expressed that, China Mobile Guangdong has accelerated its 5G network construction and innovation application, helping to create a smart city cluster in the GBA. On the aspect of network construction, China Mobile Guangdong will firstly deploy and implement commercial application in Guangdong and Shenzhen; the next target will be to expand 5G network coverage to the core areas of the provinces and counties. For innovation application, it will partner with industrial chain members to create benchmark demonstrations, such as 5G smart city, 5G smart grid, 5G smart driving, 5G smart steel factory, 5G smart medical, etc. China Mobile Guangdong will focus on 152 industrial areas across the province, accelerating the implementation of 5G network coverage, and vigorously pushing forward the construction of smart city and cloud application for industrial and commercial use. The establishment of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance will greatly promote sharing and technology innovation within the 5G industries of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. It also integrates advanced 5G industry and capabilities, uniting partners in various fields to build a dynamic industry ecology, and helping to create the Digital Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

Mr. Xin Yuejiang, Honorary President of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance, Chairman of CITIC Telecom International and CTM expressed. As one of the active participants in the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau GBA, CTM has invested resources as a practical way to support the development, which includes setting up of CTM’s data centre in Hong Kong and establishing a software development centre in Zhuhai, etc. Apart from that, CTM strives to provide strong support for local companies and citizens in developing the GBA. In 2017, CTM cooperated with its partners in GBA to launch the Bay Area Service Plan. The cross-regional service plan has gained positive response which serves as a showcase of communications and convergence within GBA. CTM is honoured to partner with China Mobile Hong Kong, China Mobile Guangdong and Guangdong Communication Industry Association to set up “The GBA 5G Industry Alliance”, to further promoting the 5G+ industrial chain in GBA in the long run.

Mr. Sean Lee, Founding President of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance and Director & CEO of China Mobile Hong Kong said, As the leading communication brand in Hong Kong, China Mobile Hong Kong strives to lead the development of 5G technology and promote the development of smart city in Hong Kong. The cooperation with China Mobile Guangdong, CTM and Guangdong Communication Industry Association leads to the setting up of The GBA 5G Industry Alliance, which is the first non-profit organization of its kind. The Alliance aims to further promote 5G development in different fields and industries in GBA, thus pushing forward the progress of smart city. Nearly 80 members from different industries have joined the alliance, which is very inspiring for us. We believe that the Alliance will provide the richest resources with the support of our members, and help them achieve rapid development in the 5G industry.

In the future, The Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance will explore the 5G technology’s possibilities and cooperation opportunities in different areas and regions. It will also provide framework support and technology for 5G network facilities and solutions to further develop 5G network construction.

For more information about The Greater Bay Area 5G Industry Alliance, please visit : www.gba-5g-alliance.org