the promises of the much promoted
“Smart City” of the future. Soon, the
affordability of Wi-Fi hotspots supplied by
HGC’s 1G-speed pipes will make telecoms
more convenient as the company provides
a plethora of hotspots. In Hong Kong, the
expectation of Wi-Fi availability is high
as people ask for connections as soon as
they arrive at many shopping malls and
restaurants. More – and faster – are
to come.
Getting business done
Ms Tan is betting that major corporate
users of data will be among their biggest
customers, and HGC is offering one-stop
enterprise solutions embracing Internet,
mobile, private data lines, data centre
services and cloud services to corporate
customers – the early adopters of new
services. The Super Retail Network, for
example, allows customers like Pizza
Hut and KFC to supercharge their online
ordering through the use of mobile apps
and back-end software that routes orders
to the closest outlets. It also generates
immensely useful data on sales and
customer intelligence for use in
future planning.
With world-class data centre facilities
and connectivity capability, HGC is well-
positioned to capture cloud computing
opportunities. Many new data-hungry
services in the cloud collect big data from
multiple touchpoints, combine those
data, analyse them and then provide
management information and analyses,
all in real time. Without the fattest pipes
for these data to traverse and cost-
effective cloud storage, these services
would not be possible.
For example, HGC’s Cloud Surveillance
allows businesses to watch their assets
and operational conditions from anywhere
in the world using mobile devices. Video
data must be collected, encrypted and
sent to mobile devices in real time. The
same is true for Star Trek-style Cloud
Video Conferencing like that used in the
CK Hutchison Group (see
Sphere
#35).
Cloud Audience Analytics improves
bricks and mortar retail business by
bringing to bear analysis from data-hungry
applications like facial detection, which
analyses consumers’ demographics and
expressions when they browse through an
array of advertising displays. Broadband
allows the complex data to be delivered,
analysed and then used to make decisions
that maximise in-store layout and product
presentation. Cloud Signage allows in-store
digital displays to be changed in real time
from a remote location, reducing the need
for on-site computer hardware and trained
staff.
3
Hong Kong is a pioneer in using this
in-store technology.
Please me
It is hard now to imagine the TV era of
‘rabbit ears’ (an indoor TV antenna) and
unreliable reception of just one or two
stations, especially when looking at the
entertainment currently deployed to
people’s homes. Broadband makes
this possible.
The latest innovation is over-the-top
services where the expansion of
bandwidth allows businesses to offer
purely Internet-based entertainment on
demand, bypassing the need for traditional
providers like cable TV companies.
3
Home
Broadband can now provide broadband
at speeds up to 1G to over 1.8 million
households in Hong Kong. Its user-friendly
“myTV Super” service brings over 19,000
hours of on-demand high-resolution
programming to homes.
But too much is never enough. As the
network grows, consumers demand
even more and businesses are more than
happy to provide it. In addition to passive
TV watching, consumers are actively
communicating with others and working
at home over the network. The massive
demand puts strains on the system but
HGC has responded with its Content
Distribution Network (CDN).
This advanced and scalable network
enables a faster and more reliable delivery
of web services like document download,
video streaming, two-way communications
and a multitude of other bandwidth-hungry
services. Online commerce is also sped up,
which is crucial as waiting customers often
abandon their orders if there are delays
or instability in their browsing experience.
CDN enables the infrastructure to keep up
with fast-rising demand.
While the public may be seduced by sexy
phones and racy apps, it is the constant
improvement and evolution of broadband
that has made the information and
entertainment revolution possible. HGC
is on board to keep providing the goods
in Hong Kong and beyond into the 21st
century. This innovation is truly ‘phat’!
Broadband: Invisible to
the general public, it is a
powerful agent enabling our
transformed lives.
Sphere
#40
2016
25
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