As China enters a new economic era, more and more cities are focusing on public image and international influence enhancement. The capacity to construct high-level venues and commercial buildings for major global conferences and events is a key factor for evaluating a city's influence. The development of smart venues and the hosting of major conferences are currently focused on digital transformation.

On September 4, 2016, the 11th G20 Leaders' Submit (hereinafter referred to as G20 Summit) was held at Hangzhou International Expo Center. As the wired and wireless network device and solution provider for this G20 Summit, H3C joined hands with Zhejiang Telecom to provide network services and guarantee work for the summit. H3C provided network services for Hangzhou International Expo Center that served as the main venue for the G20 Summit, Hangzhou International Conference Center of B20 Business Summit, and the Hangzhou Xizi Hotel and other important hotels that hosted guests from all over the world. H3C met the demand for high-standard communication services for the summit. By utilizing a range of new IT technologies, H3C has given people a new understanding of digital construction of international conferences.

Four-in-one all-around protection system

During the summit, there was a large number of instant user access. A large amount of data must be processed. Therefore, higher requirements were placed on network digitization, bearing capacity, and usability. With the technical support of H3C, during the summit, 13,857 network devices were running online and more than 3,700 wireless APs were accessed, including S125 10 Gigabit core switch, SecPath M9000 multi-service gateway, WA4330 Trident high-density AP, iMC management platform, and other products. During the peak period, nearly 6,000 terminals were concurrently online and an individual AP could access more than 100 terminals. Perception-free authentication and high-density access of devices were realized through the vBRA platform.

To ensure network availability and security, H3C launched a "four-in-one" system, which consisted of a flat organizational structure, whole-process management mechanism, information system means, and normalized work systems. Relying on the smart network operation series app and focusing on one platform, one-click management, real-time monitoring, and full tracking, H3C built a digital communication assurance system with the innovative 5W1H as the main line and PDCA tools as the means. This was used during the whole life cycle of network assurance and realized an all-around assurance mechanism.

A team of more than 100 experts from H3C Group provided on-site support for network assurance of the summit. At the telecom command center, the management page can display the network operation status during the whole process of the G20 summit in real time. With the large monitoring screen, staff can intuitively observe the comprehensive display of terminal types, terminal number growth, device response, and other comprehensive situation. The high-quality network assurance service from H3C was publicly commended by Xia Baolong, the former Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee. H3C was also praised by the media as a provider of a fast network speed compared to other G20 summits and won high recognition from the industry.

Better digital experience from authentication to Wi-Fi

H3C not only ensured free network access in the conference center at the International Expo Center, the major site of the G20 Summit, but also allowed the media from various nations to broadcast the magnificent scene of Hangzhou to the world from the press center.

The digital venue system required both smooth Wi-Fi access to the main venue and seamless Wi-Fi coverage in the associated venues and hotels. The NFV (vBras) resource pool is the crucial node in the network for this G20 Summit. In addition to providing user services in hotels and venues, this device was integrated with the Telecom iWiFi platform to enable perception-free authentication. This means that users can directly use the hotspots during the summit without secondary authentication after they have been successfully authenticated at the venues or hotels. Multiple vBras devices in the NFV cluster could synchronize authentication and session information. When a single device failed, it could be quickly switched over within 50 milliseconds. This process is perception-free to users, ensuring user experience to a greater extent.

As the main force of communication assurance for the summit, H3C and Zhejiang Telecom fully completed all the tasks. All of the personnel contributed ideas, brilliantly finished network building of eight important scenic spots, core websites, and system platforms, and provided assurance for more than 170 key locations and hotels where media and foreign visitors stayed as well as more than 100 key projects.

Innovative operation drives the digital change of smart venues

Without any doubt, the Hangzhou G20 Summit was filled with outstanding examples of digital innovation. H3C's new IT innovation thought was demonstrated by everything from the most basic software and hardware infrastructure to on-site support by technical experts and unified management. The future network communications in large conference venues will necessarily require evolution and development. This traditional and modern industry will have richer and more mature business models as a result of the digital transformation trend. By striving to leverage its strengths, H3C hopes to offer qualified, effective, and customized solutions to redefine value in the age of new IT technologies. With the excellent digital technologies, H3C Group has successfully assisted in large international events such as the 2016 Hangzhou G20 Summit, the 2016 Wuzhen World Internet Conference, the 2016 Kunshan Thomas & Uber Cup, the 53rd Table Tennis World Championships in 2015, the 2014 Beijing APEC Summit, the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. After the G20 Summit, people will see the major venues and conference events with a higher standard when measuring digital performance. H3C will continue to drive the digital transformation of smart buildings with mature operation services and lead the construction and innovation of a new generation of smart venues.