China Mobile Beijing and Huawei launch pilot project for an MEC-based smart stadium

[Beijing, China, July 4, 2017] Recently, China Mobile Beijing and Huawei announced the launch of a pilot project for a smart stadium at Beijing South Railway Station based on multi-access edge computing (MEC). The project is expected to generate revenue for China Mobile Beijing into tens of millions of US dollars. This is the first time China Mobile Beijing has developed its enterprise business using MEC technology.

Huawei’s MEC@CloudEdge solution will enable China Mobile Beijing to integrate specific video content sources into the edge gateway of the smart stadium at Beijing South Railway Station. China Mobile users at the stadium will be able to watch videos from content sources by scanning a QR code and signing up for video package subscriptions. The MEC@CloudEdge solution enables local service steering, local operations, and communication capabilities exposure. Through the solution, users will pay less while gaining benefits including low-latency, low freeze rate, and an ultra-HD viewing experience that is exclusive to the stadium.

OTT players can utilize network capabilities to manage a flexible charging strategy that will attract more users. China Mobile Beijing is using the solution to provide highly competitive packages to build a larger mobile video user base with higher stickiness. The company is also benefiting from a share of the profits of OTT players. The business model of the smart stadium benefits end users, carriers, as well as OTT players. Moving forward, MEC-based applications such as VR videos and AR games, which place higher demands on network bandwidth and computing processing capabilities, will become commonplace in smart stadiums.

"As smart stadiums and other innovative services develop, MEC will play an increasingly important role as an enabler of 5G networks,” said Dai Jisheng, Vice President of Huawei's Packet Core Network Product Line. “Huawei aims to work with all industry partners to drive the MEC industry forward."

Building on Cloud Native architecture, Huawei's MEC@CloudEdge solution enables flexible service provisioning, simplified O&M, and efficient resource utilization. It also facilitates local service charging, management and control, and operations. As a service container built in edge networks, the MEC@CloudEdge solution flexibly integrates third-party applications and opens pipe capabilities in a way that helps carriers develop more business scenarios.

Huawei has partnered with China Mobile, Vodafone, Etisalat, and other carriers in commercial pilots and innovations concerning MEC. Huawei boasts many leading solutions and successful business practices in the MEC field. At the MEC Congress in Munich in September 2016, Huawei's MEC@CloudEdge solution won the Best Edge Computing Technology award. Huawei will work with industry partners to develop more innovative services and applications aimed at driving the robust development of the MEC industry.