Huawei and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) agreed to set up a joint cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) research group in Wuxi, China.

The two organisations, which signed a collaboration agreement, said in a statement the joint research team will develop C-V2X technologies, and promote emerging technology and applications for more mature and valuable services. They aim to help build the commercial intelligent transportation system in the Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong Greater Bay area.

Last week ASTRI and Huawei showcased a series of C-V2X test cases at a demonstration site covering around 170 square km in Wuxi.

Their research is supported by the Chinese Academy of Information and Communications Technology, China Mobile, and a number of vehicle manufacturers, including Audi and FAW.

Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI, said it is committed to using the power of technology for overall smart city development in Hong Kong and the region, adding “as long-term strategic partners, we jointly work to build a connected vehicle ecosystem for Hong Kong and the nation”.

In March 2017 ASTRI joined forces with HKT, Huawei and Qualcomm to establish the Smart Mobility Consortium to bring cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technologies to Hong Kong. The consortium is working with the government and industry partners such as carmakers to prove the viability of the new technologies.

C-V2X standards were finalised by the 3GPP in 2017 to enable communication between vehicles, other road users and their wider surroundings including traffic signals and roadworks.