ASTRI to showcase cutting-edge 5G technologies at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021

[Hong Kong, 23 February 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) will showcase a portfolio of its cutting-edge 5G technologies at the MWC Shanghai 2021 which opens today.

Adopting the theme of “Connected 5G for Impact”, ASTRI will demonstrate its technologies and innovations that enhance the competitive strength of enterprises in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and around the world. These technologies include:

  • 5G O-RAN x86 Solution
  • 5G O-RAN ARM Solution
  • 5G Industrial IoT
  • 5G OpenUPF
  • 5G SA Core Network
  • 5G Smart City Infrastructure
  • 5G Smart Mobility – Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) Pilot in Hong Kong

MWC Shanghai 2021 is a three-day event hosted by the GSMA. It is one of Asia’s largest and most influential Information and Communications Technology events, showcasing and exploring the impact of next-generation technologies across a variety of industries, as well as trends in the market. This year’s event will focus on how technology and connectivity can lead the global recovery.

Dr Justin Chuang, Vice-President, Communications Technologies at ASTRI, said: “We have been working with various industry partners to ensure our technology and innovation always meet the industry needs. Our latest 5G technology and network solutions realise new application scenarios including private networks, Internet of Vehicles, industrial internet and mobile platform cloudification. We are delighted to showcase our technology and our innovation together with our partners at MWC Shanghai 2021.”

ASTRI’s 5G O-RAN Solution is an end-to-end 5G network solution which complies with 3GPP standards and, through its flexibility, is low cost and easy to deploy, removing a traditional cost barrier to the industry looking to make the most of the 5G network. ASTRI’s O-RAN DU (Distributed Unit) Software supports (1) x86 platform for high performance macro/micro cells and (2) ARM platform for indoor/outdoor low power base stations.

ASTRI’s 5G Industrial IoT applications include the development of simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) and robot navigation software running over a 5G network with industrial Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

China Mobile’s 5G OpenUPF (User Plane Function) will enable open and flexible 5G deployment in network edge and drive vertical applications. ASTRI is one of the first members who joined the OpenUPF initiative.

Intel and ASTRI have been working closely in 5G technology development, including 5G core network, O-RAN development, 5G OpenUPF, and V2X infrastructure technology. The two parties have worked together to optimise software and hardware to enable scalable 5G UPF, and successfully delivered a ground-breaking performance of more than 1Tbps 5G UPF data throughput in 2020.

ASTRI’s 5G Smart City Infrastructure solutions support Smart City applications through the integration of 5G networks, sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. They utilise 5G’s high bandwidth capability to support high-resolution sensors such as video and LiDAR, and Edge computing to process and aggregate time-spatial data to bridge between the physical and virtual world. At MWC Shanghai 2021, ASTRI showcases how the 5G Smart City Infrastructure deployed in the Hong Kong Science Park supports various application scenarios such as smart mobility.

ASTRI is committed to advancing the adoption of C-V2X technologies in Hong Kong. To study and understand the application scenarios of C-V2X technologies on Hong Kong’s roads, and also the methodology to plan for the network and infrastructure required, ASTRI has been in close discussion with the Hong Kong Transport Department since November 2019. With the support from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) of the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), ASTRI is conducting further research on C-V2X technologies. At MWC Shanghai, ASTRI will introduce the project to visitors.

ENDS

Captions:

ASTRI expert Mr Su Dongzhe (right) introduces the institute’s cutting-edge 5G technologies to visitors at the MWC Shanghai 2021.