China Telecom Global (CTG) and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have signed an agreement to establish the HKUST–China Telecom Joint Laboratory on AI for Telecommunications, marking the transition of their industry–academia–research collaboration into an implementation phase. The signing ceremony, held at the HKUST campus, was followed by the laboratory's first Scientific Advisory Committee meeting, according to a press release issued via Media OutReach Newswire.
The joint laboratory is a key outcome of a strategic cooperation agreement signed between China Telecom and HKUST in March 2025, under which both parties committed to deepening collaboration and advancing frontier technology research and commercialisation. The lab will focus on frontier AI technologies for telecommunications, defining research topics around CTG's business scenarios in global networks and its AI-powered intelligent computing cloud. It also aims to explore joint talent development and build a closed-loop pathway from business scenarios through research topics to commercialised outcomes.
Chen Kai, Executive Vice President of CTG, said the company is accelerating its development into a technology-driven enterprise. He noted that leveraging CTG's business scenarios in global networks and the AI-powered intelligent computing cloud, the joint laboratory will work with HKUST on frontier research, drive collaborative innovation across telecommunications and artificial intelligence, and serve the development of Digital China and the Greater Bay Area. Prof. Guo Yike, Provost of HKUST and Director of the Joint Laboratory, described the lab as an important platform for HKUST to advance the deep integration of AI research with real-world industry scenarios. He added that the university will give full play to its research strengths, accelerate the translation of research outcomes, and contribute to building Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub.
At its first meeting, the Scientific Advisory Committee approved the laboratory's first batch of research projects and adopted the Laboratory Charter and its Rules of Procedure. Discussions covered 2027 research and development directions and the translation of telecommunications business scenarios into research topics. The laboratory will operate a mechanism combining quarterly written reports with biannual review meetings to ensure that research remains aligned with industry needs and that outcomes are measurable and translatable.
The establishment of the joint laboratory matters because it formalises a structured collaboration between a major global telecom operator and a leading research university at a time when AI is increasingly central to network operations and digital services. For CTG, the lab provides a dedicated pipeline for turning its global network and intelligent computing cloud scenarios into applied research projects, potentially accelerating the deployment of AI-driven solutions across its markets. For HKUST, it offers a platform to test and commercialise AI research in real industry settings, reinforcing Hong Kong's position as an innovation and technology hub. The laboratory's governance mechanism, with regular reporting and review, is designed to keep research tied to industry needs and to ensure outcomes are translatable into commercial products.
Looking ahead, the two parties will deepen their long-term cooperation in AI for telecommunications through the joint laboratory, accelerate the industrialisation of research outcomes, support Hong Kong's development into an international innovation and technology hub, and inject fresh momentum into the high-quality growth of the digital economy in the Greater Bay Area. The initiative also reflects a broader trend of telecom operators investing in AI research and talent development to remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.
