**Smart Cities Free Us from Waiting**
The Green and Low-Carbon Smart City Dream
Living in a city, especially in a metropolis like Hong Kong, means experiencing a fast-paced life where everyone is familiar with the time spent "waiting." From the moment we step out of our homes, we wait for elevators, buses, subways, doors to open, meals, medical appointments, financial services, and more. This cycle of waiting permeates every aspect of our social and daily lives, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, administration, work, shopping, and entertainment.
Waiting not only consumes a significant amount of time for urban dwellers but also reduces efficiency in handling tasks, leading to impatience and anxiety, ultimately lowering the quality of life. In today's world, where governments globally advocate for smart cities, can we reduce the time spent waiting?
The planning and initiation of smart city projects often start with macro infrastructure, such as city-wide wireless internet for free access, smart transportation to improve traffic and security management, smart grids for efficient energy distribution and savings, and various IoT sensors to monitor air and water quality. However, these projects often overlook smart applications that enhance daily life convenience.
According to the Census and Statistics Department, as of 2016, Hong Kong's internet penetration rate was 87.5% (for individuals aged 10 and above). The internet usage rate for individuals aged 10 to 44 was nearly 100%, and 98% of citizens used smartphones. Broadband penetration in households reached 93.4%. Additionally, in 2015, 80% of Hong Kong enterprises used the internet. Statistics show that Hong Kong had 9 submarine cable systems, 17 terrestrial cable systems, and 9 satellites providing communication services last year, boasting the world's fastest average peak internet speed of approximately 73.9 Mbps, and over 43,000 free public WiFi hotspots. This "internet hub" city indeed has an excellent network environment and widespread internet usage, leading globally.
This indicates that while many cities worldwide are still working on building internet infrastructure, Hong Kong already has the foundational conditions for developing a smart city—internet access. Particularly, smart network applications that provide convenience to citizens and tourists can significantly reduce waiting times.
A few years ago, some restaurants in Hong Kong began using queue ticketing applications. For example, upon arriving at a restaurant, customers receive a printed ticket with a QR code. They can scan the QR code with their phones to check their real-time queue status, allowing them to do other things while waiting. Later, remote ticketing and mobile ordering emerged, with real-time SMS reminders for customers, enabling precise scene marketing and customer relationship management. In recent years, many third-party queuing systems in mainland China have integrated with popular WeChat public accounts, making them more convenient and user-friendly. These systems connect with kitchen dispatch and POS systems, extending from queuing to complete dining scenarios, including checkout.
Other scenarios where people don't have to "wait" can extend to hospital registration and medication collection, banking services, and government service locations. The principle is the same as restaurant ticketing. Essentially, any place where waiting is required can leverage internet access, IoT technology, and data processing to achieve this. A few years ago, implementing such time-saving systems could cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Now, ready-made third-party solutions are affordable for many small and medium-sized enterprises.
Clearly, when a smart city eliminates "waiting," people no longer have to "wait."
Dr. Angus Cheong Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Internet Research Alliance and Chief Data Consultant at uMax Data Technology Ltd.
(Originally published in Hong Kong Economic Journal)