Smart City

Smart City Sentinel

Why is Hong Kong Behind on Smart Cities?

By Ken Briodagh

Hong Kong, it seems, is falling behind other cities in getting smart, especially when compared to Singapore and Tokyo, which are leaders in the East Asian Smart City race.

According to a recent article by Kelly Olsen, CNBC Hong Kong Correspondent, there are several factors contributing to the slow pace, including overbearing bureaucracy and a lack of innovation.

The city is home to more than 7 million and has been a center of commerce for decades, but digital transformation technology for Smart City that can improve connectivity, efficiency and sustainability seems to be getting missed. Reportedly, the city in December made a Smart City plan for better citizen services and to entice economic investment.

EasyPark, an analyst firm, ranked Hong Kong 68th out of the top 100 cities surveyed in its 2017 Smart Cities Index, while Singapore was second and Tokyo was sixth. Seoul, South Korea came in twenty-first.

Beijing and Shanghai were behind Hong Kong on the Index, but China has made its commitment to Smart City very public over the last year, and will likely move aggressively enough to overtake in short order.

The city has good broadband infrastructure, and so are the transportation and healthcare systems, but the population is a huge strain and housing is reportedly becoming a problem. Most troubling is the fact that a recent Hong Kong Audit Commission report said more than a third of the city’s free public Wi-Fi hotspots are slower than official targets, as is use of the service.

If Hong Kong wants to stay competitive and attract new industry, it’s going to have to move faster on infrastructure upgrades and get government officials on board with encouraging innovation and investment. And sooner is better than later – or never.


Ken Briodagh is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience under his belt. He is in love with technology and if he had his druthers would beta test everything from shoe phones to flying cars.

Edited by Ken Briodagh
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Editorial Director

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

'Smart Gas Meter Penetration Rate in Europe Reached 45% in 2023'

By: Alex Passett    3/13/2024

According to new data from Berg Insight, he installed base of smart gas meters in Europe amounted to 55.9 million in 2023, equivalent to a penetration…

Read More

Smarter Grid Planning and Operations: Itron Acquires Elpis Squard to Expand Grid Edge Intelligence Portfolio

By: Alex Passett    3/11/2024

To accelerate the energy transition needs for grid planning, operational and engineering teams and processes, Itron officially announced the strategic…

Read More

IoT Evolution Expo Gold Sponsor Libelium is Changing the Electric Grid with Smart DLR Solutions

By: Alex Passett    2/13/2024

IoT Evolution Expo 2024 is taking place from February 13-15 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Under the grand umbre…

Read More

A New Record for Connectivity: 'World's Longest-Range Wi-Fi HaLow Solution' Demonstrated by Morse Micro

By: Alex Passett    2/6/2024

Morse Micro recently announced the success of what it has called "the world's first live demonstration of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow technology extending t…

Read More

'The World's First Smart Rainforest': How NTT and ClimateForce Plan to Use Smart Technology for Environmental Restoration

By: Alex Passett    1/30/2024

ClimateForce and Smart Management Platform (SMP) technology company NTT have announced their partnership with the goal of creating the world's first "…

Read More