China Mobile Hong Kong Partners with H3C to Achieve Operational Efficiency to Provide All-time Seamless Communication Services to Customers and Staff

"The H3C team has been very helpful and eager to explore, develop and troubleshoot the solution, all at a favorable rate"

Mr. S.C. Kwan
Assistant System Support Manager, China Mobile Hong Kong

To meet the business needs and achieve operational efficiency by allowing access and exchange of information of more than 44 shops, China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) deployed H3C solutions to revamp their network infrastructure, aiming to ensure their shops and main office can be operated smoothly under a stable & reliable environment with its own 4G LTE, as well as creating an all-time seamless communication services for their customers, partners as well as staff.

China Mobile Hong Kong aims to stay ahead with technological innovation

China Mobile Hong Kong, one of the key telecommunications operators in Hong Kong which offers innovative and comprehensive communications services, including voice, data, IDD and international roaming through 4G LTE, 3GHSPA, GPRS, EDGE and other technologies, is always seeking ways to enhance customer experience with its extensive subscriber base. Technological innovation plays a crucial part in making operation seamless and efficient for its main office as well as branch shops across different parts of Hong Kong.

The company currently has 44 shops across different areas of the city. One of the challenges was the limitation of conventional data lines that held back transmission speed. However, there were places with access by copper wires only which means the speed could be as slow as 2Mbps. The low bandwidths used to blight operation, turning CCTV and remote support services into painful drudgery risked crippling the whole store. To upgrade network connectivity, CMHK's System Support Team partnered with H3C to optimize its IT performance of all the sites.

H3C makes high speed data links across the city possible

H3C designs the redundant 4G network with IPSEC VPN over internet in each shop and let the internal traffic and internet traffic load-balance locally by using policy route. With the H3C solutions, all shops are now covered with high speed data link regardless of their widely separate locations. With the support of CMHK's 4G LTE network, the speed can now reach up to 100Mbps. Services can be rendered swiftly and safely with minimized interruptions. While customers can also enjoy using the Wi-Fi service as an added benefit made available by the new solutions.

With the new solutions in place, moving shops and setting up new ones cannot be simpler. A set of H3C products including multi-servers routers and latest wireless solutions are deployed to get the new site up and running, a totally different set-up experience from the days when installation began with the lengthy process of application for data lines provided by other vendors. Leveraging CMHK's own 4G LTE coverage, the team is now able to focus on own initiative, that is, to build a reliable, secure network empowered by H3C's solutions.

Simple infrastructure enables disruption-free operation

The solution comes in a highly effective, simplified and managed infrastructure at the data center, namely two WX3510H wireless controllers to manage the Wi-Fi access points and two MSR3620 routers to receive connections from different shops. The team can now get away with the two rented data lines which were used for taking requests and were susceptible to technical glitches. Now, at each single branch shop, there are two MSR 810 4G routers, two S5120S-28P-EI switch units and two WA5320 AP units. That means, even if one set fails to function properly, the other can take over instantly without any disruptions. This takes a big burden off from the support team while service level for customers can be hugely boosted.

All needs are addressed in the tailor-made solution

Stemmed from the initial concepts initiated by the CMHK's system support team, H3C has developed a solution that meets all requirements the CMHK team has in mind. And more importantly, H3C has been collaborating closely with CMHK to solve identified problems, refine and develop ideas into viable applications. Issues such as data encryption for clients and system interoperability can all be well addressed and taken care of by H3C's engineers on a timely basis. The resultant solution is specifically tailored for CMHK, with details from login page design to feature additions in future, all being crafted with what CMHK has in mind to meet their needs for now and for the future.

Scalability is another advantage the solution offers. The system is ready for expansion since the equipment needed to set up a working unit is so simple to use, easy to install, and quick to deploy. That enables convenient setup for Smart Octopus Payment points, for example. As some shops are on short-term lease, some are mobile in nature while some are rented Octopus service stations, the solution proves invaluable advantage for CMHK to enjoy necessary flexibility to run their shops.

Easy deployment saves time, labor and boosts efficiency

The solution is available to partners of CMHK's various departments too. So far, the feedback is positive mostly due to the enormous time and labor saved in deployment and installation used to take place on site, which is much faster than the hassle of renting lines, buying routers, and getting a technician to put everything together in the old days. Now, the setup can be finished in an internet environment and tests can also be remotely conducted. The swift deployment is now making it much easier and faster to make adapted changes based on ongoing business needs and development.

The solution makes it possible to have centralized management of the network with intelligent management centre (iMC) provided by H3C to control all equipment. Operational efficiency is up by approximately 30%-40%. Once connected to the network, everything can now be configured at the headquarters, easy and fast! As business grows, quick action delivers higher flexibility, more precise planning and smoother execution.

Mission has been accomplished with flying colors

CMHK has highly praised H3C for their technical prowess, problem solving skills, dedication, as well as the cost effectiveness of their products, and is happy with the fruitful result. CMHK is reaping significant rewards on the cost side within 12 months. The process, from laying down the requirements, mapping out the POC, developing the solution to its deployment, took less than 3 months. Now, the whole system is run and managed by a tiny support team with only 3 staff, which serves 44 branch shops, and offers prompt assistance to requests from various departments. From the perspective of optimization of time and labor, H3C has delivered and excelled again with its network solution for CMHK.

Chances of further co-operation are around the corner

The promising outcome of H3C's solution has inspired possibilities of further collaboration between CMHK and H3C. One key area concerns internal Wi-Fi network that supports the rising trend of using iPads among both staff and customers with features such as air-printing. Another area to explore is CCTV technology, with balancing act between resolution, data encryption, router performance and privacy issues, with the goal to monitor all 44 branches at a glance, which takes a huge amount of traffic and requires strong processing power. H3C is working closely to integrate the requirements into the solution with CMHK's current 4G capacity.