Hongkong Electric (HK Electric) has deployed a remotely controlled robot to walk the cable tunnel at its Cyberport switching station, monitoring, inspecting and then relaying metrics like gas concentrations, humidity and temperature. The robot runs on a 5G network installed by Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong (HTHK).
The robot enters the HK Electric’s switching station, which is located on the south side of Hong Kong island, and uses built-in cameras and sensors to collect high-definition images and data that can then be transmitted in real-time.
“Traditionally, HK Electric would send a team of at least six individuals into the tunnel for inspections, with two personnel required to enter while others remained outside as a safety precaution,” Andrew Yan Ka-wing, the head of construction and maintenance of the transmission and distribution division of HK Electric, said, adding that this new approach saves both time and manpower.
The 5G robot is part of the Hong Kong Office of the Communications Authority’s efforts to encourage and support early deployment of 5G services.
HTHK’s mobile unit 3 Hong Kong launched 5G services in April 2020. By Octorber of the same year, the carrier claimed 99% coverage in Hong Kong. “We have been enhancing our 5G network in accordance with the ‘5G One World’ theme. In addition to providing customers with a 5G service in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band, we have also re-farmed the 15 MHz of spectrum in the 2100 MHz spectrum band to rapidly expand network coverage especially for 5G customers,” Hutchinson Telecommunications’s Executive Director and CEO Kenny Koo said at the time.
