Keeping Hong Kong connected on its busiest night

“Five, four, three, two, one—Happy New Year!” 

As the final seconds of the old year tick away and the countdown echoes across Victoria Harbour, tens of thousands of people raise their phones almost in unison. Some film the skyline; others video-call friends and family across the border or overseas, or send voice messages, photos, and blessings to usher in the start of the New Year of 2026.

Behind this shared experience lies something most people never think about: the invisible network that carries those voices, images, and emotions in real time.

From 2G to 5G: a front-row view of Hong Kong’s network evolution

For Derek Choi, Network Quality Management Manager at China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK), invisibility is exactly the point. As Hong Kong’s largest mobile operator, CMHK sees it as a core responsibility to keep the city’s network stable, particularly during major public events, when usage surges and expectations are at their highest.

“When everything works smoothly, people don’t notice us,” he says. “And that’s how it should be.” But in a city as dense and vertical as Hong Kong—especially on New Year’s Eve—making the network feel effortless requires months of preparation and a long night of focus.

Derek has spent nearly 15 years at CMHK. He joined as a core network maintenance engineer and has witnessed Hong Kong’s rapid evolution from the 2G and 3G voice era, through the explosion of mobile data on 4G, to today’s 5G environment of always-on, high-speed connectivity.

“The pace of change has been quick,” he says. “The internet is now deeply integrated into everyday life. A fast, stable network isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s a basic expectation.”

Helping signals navigate Hong Kong’s 3-D maze

At no time is that expectation higher than during New Year. Hong Kong is one of the world’s most popular countdown destinations, and Central, the city’s main business district and the location of this year’s countdown, is one of the most densely built-up urban areas in the world. From a radio engineering perspective, it can feel like a three-dimensional maze. Closely packed skyscrapers, narrow streets, and layered infrastructure block, reflect, and scatter wireless signals, making consistent coverage far more complex than in open or low-rise environments., where signals reflect, scatter, and interfere with one another.

The challenge is magnified in the 5G era. Where New Year’s Eve once meant a burst of text messages or phone calls, today it brings an avalanche of high-definition video. People aren’t just sharing moments—they’re live-streaming them, uploading them, and expecting them to arrive instantly. And because everyone is celebrating at the same time, that demand hits the network all at once.

Hong Kong’s role as an international city raises the bar even further. Visitors from around the world experience the city through their screens as much as through its streets, and network performance becomes part of that first impression. Smooth, fast connectivity reinforces Hong Kong’s reputation as a place that moves quickly, thinks ahead, and delivers top-tier performance even under stress.

Under that kind of pressure, a small technical issue can grow quickly if it isn’t addressed.

“That’s what we’re always thinking about,” Derek says. “On a normal day, a minor risk might not matter. On New Year’s Eve, everything is amplified.”

Leaving nothing to chance

For this year’s event, Derek’s team started planning months ahead of time, evaluating coverage across Central and along Victoria Harbour, optimizing base stations in key locations, and building detailed contingency plans. Popular viewing areas, transport corridors, and nearby gathering points were all mapped and assessed. Emergency support teams and mobile communication vehicles were positioned well in advance, ready to expand network capacity if needed.

At the heart of the operation is CMHK’s Network Operations Center, which shifts into full 24/7 mode as the holiday approaches. From there, engineers monitor thousands of base stations across the city in real time. Every alarm is treated seriously, even if users haven’t noticed any impact. During one final check, a hardware alert was detected at a base station in Central. Engineers were dispatched immediately, the component was replaced, and service continued without interruption.

“These moments aren’t dramatic from the outside,” Derek says. “But that’s exactly the goal. If people can keep celebrating without any disruption, we’ve done our job.”

Different roles, same team

Some of the technology behind that calm is sophisticated, but its purpose is simple: keep connections flowing smoothly when demand spikes. Real-time monitoring allows engineers to spot sudden changes in traffic patterns. Data analytics predict where congestion might occur and adjust resources accordingly. In crowded areas, network capacity can be temporarily expanded so that video calls connect quickly and live streams stay clear.

For major events, CMHK also works closely with long-term partners, including Huawei, whose engineers provide technical support before and during the countdown. One of them, Zhang Lijun, has worked alongside Derek for years.

“It feels like we’re on the same team,” Derek says of Lijun. “Everyone understands the pressure, and everyone knows what’s at stake.”

Winning the playoff game

To explain his work to friends outside the industry, Derek often turns to a basketball analogy. Routine network maintenance is like regular practice: refining tactics, testing setups, and improving coordination. New Year’s Eve is the playoff game. The plan is set, but conditions change constantly, and success depends on teamwork and quick decisions.

Still, Derek is careful not to frame the work in heroic terms. For him, and for many on his team, it is closer to a professional calling—an ongoing responsibility to make sure people can share, save, and relive important moments without friction.

“We’re providing invisible support,” he says. “People are focused on their families, their friends, and the moment. They just expect the network to be there.”

Meeting that expectation, he adds, means preparing almost everything well in advance—so that, when the countdown begins, the technology quietly steps out of the way.

For Derek, New Year is about more than technology—it’s about connection and pride in the city. Smooth connectivity allows families to stay close even when they’re apart, and lets visitors share Hong Kong’s energy with the world in real time. The work does come with personal trade-offs. While others count down the seconds with their loved ones, the network engineers stay on duty through the night, watching traffic curves rise and fall on large screens. By the time the crowds disperse, it’s often two or three in the morning.

“I’ll pick up a late-night snack,” he says, “then go home and sleep next to my wife. We don’t need to say much. There’s just a feeling of warmth.”

When the final alarms are cleared and the network settles back into its normal rhythm, Derek allows himself a quiet moment of satisfaction. He has seen the city’s shared memories travel safely across the network: calls completed, messages delivered, celebrations preserved – often within seconds of being captured.

It’s the best New Year’s greeting he could hope for.