PCCW Global, the international telecommunications service provider under HKT, has today signed a strategic collaboration framework agreement with the Lower Air Space Economy Research Institute of the International Digital Economy Academy (IDEA-LASER) at the Belt and Road Summit 2025. The collaboration aims to jointly develop Smart Integrated Lower Airspace System (OpenSILAS), the city-level low-altitude airspace intelligent management system, and its related technologies for global markets.
Developed by IDEA-LASER, SILAS serves as Shenzhen’s intelligent low-altitude infrastructure, integrating core data such as buildings, municipal facilities and administrative areas to provide real-time operational environment information for low- altitude flights, enabling precise and scalable management. Leveraging its expertise in system design and patented AI technologies, IDEA-LASER will launch an open version of the system, OpenSILAS, for global markets. PCCW Global will support the international rollout by harnessing its extensive global network infrastructure and operational experience, particularly across Belt and Road markets.
Frederick Chui, CEO of PCCW Global, said: “PCCW Global is committed to delivering stable and reliable network services and communications solutions to countries and regions across five continents through our global infrastructure. We are delighted to collaborate with IDEA-LASER to bring mainland China’s advanced low-altitude airspace management technologies to the international stage, while further diversifying our product offerings to meet the distinct needs of customers in different markets.”
Dr. Li Shipeng, Executive Director of IDEA-LASER, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, said: “The low-altitude economy represents a key direction for future urban development. By combining IDEA-LASER’s OpenSILAS technology with PCCW Global’s international capabilities, we aim to deliver efficient and scalable low-altitude airspace management solutions to the global markets. Through this collaboration, we look forward to accelerating innovative applications of digital low-altitude airspace management and supporting Hong Kong’s development into a technology and industry hub for the low-altitude economy.”
PCCW Global and IDEA-LASER plan to launch a XaaS version of OpenSILAS, OpenSILAS-as-a-Service, on PCCW Global’s Console Connect, a software defined interconnection platform. This AI-driven, cloud-based, fully digital and modular low- altitude airspace management and service solution will support the scaled development of drones, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), and urban low-altitude air mobility.
IDEA-LASER will lead the design, customisation, optimisation and deployment of OpenSILAS-as-a-Service. PCCW Global, through its Console Connect platform, will provide secure, high-speed, low-latency network connectivity, coordinate global cloud and data centre resources, and oversee global sales, distribution and customer support.
Photo of signing: Frederick Chui, CEO, PCCW Global (right) and Dr. Li Shipeng, Executive Director, IDEA-LASER (left) have signed a strategic collaboration framework agreement at the Belt and Road Summit 2025.
