SmarTone has showcased the latest developments of its Innovation Hub, Hong Kong's first dedicated open ecosystem to drive cross-industry collaboration and propel Hong Kong on its smart city journey.
The Innovation Hub aspires to provide a focal point for mobile and smart city innovation and inspire industry leaders to accelerate Hong Kong's progress in digital transformation.
One key sector that is primed for major transformation is property. As a key economic pillar of Hong Kong and an industry which impacts all lives, it now faces a constantly changing landscape of new technologies and consumer trend.
The SmarTone Innovation Hub will initially explore the latest developments of innovative ICT solutions leveraging on the latest pre-5G IoT, AI and AR technologies and how they can be applied to Smart Property applications.
'Hong Kong is already forging its path to becoming a smart city and we look to rapidly turn great ideas and technology into business reality for all business sectors,' said Anna Yip, CEO, SmarTone. 'The places we live, work and play in can potentially be transformed to deliver a whole new way of life for Hong Kong citizens. And the SmarTone Innovation Hub will focus precisely on delivering the talent, technology and open industry collaboration to ensure a successful transition into the digital era of IoT,' added Yip.
SmarTone acknowledges that progress in this digital shift will only come through comprehensive cross-industry collaboration, hence the Innovation Hub will be open to any company or individual with aspirations to further Hong Kong's journey to digital transformation.
To support businesses in their digital transformation journey, SmarTone has invested in creating an industry-leading ICT capability which provides domain-focused solutions around a mobile-first and cloud-first strategy. The dedicated ICT team provides expertise and vertically-focused solutions for different business sectors including property management, logistics & transportation, construction, hospitality and retails.
'The performance of our ICT business is encouraging and SmarTone has seen over 50% YoY growth in the ICT solutions business this year and this will continue to be a core business focus and a key revenue contributor in the coming years,' added Yip.
The latest Smart Property and Smart City developments emerging from the SmarTone Innovation Hub include:
– IoT and Smart Industry-enabled apps, sensor technology and real-time analytics
' Interconnected screwdrivers to automate tracking/monitoring of tools and optimize tool maintenance
' Site worker tracking, security and real-time environmental monitoring and controls
' Smart parking, logistics and asset tracking
' Connected transport, leveraging shared data analytics and real-time monitoring
– AI and Smart Property/Retail applications through real-time video analytics and deep learning
' Face recognition-enabled retail, sentiment analysis and dynamic people tracking/movement
– AR-enabled immersive experiences that elevate consumer experiences
' Live demo of smart mirror technology for enhanced data capture and dynamic content delivery and increased digital engagement with consumers
Another initiative demonstrating SmarTone's dedication to creativity, innovation and nextgen talents is the SmarTone Hackathon recently held in October this year. The first ever
cross-industry 24-hour computer programming event was themed on Smart Properties, attracting over 120 participants from all over the world to collaborate and formulate
creative concepts. The winning prototypes are also showcased in the Innovation Hub.
Other partners in the SmarTone Innovation hub include Arrow Electronics, ConnectAR, Ericsson, NEC and Wittech Company Limited, who will work closely with SmarTone to foster next-generation mobile and related applications.
