Vietnam stays ahead of the game with commercial 5G

VIETNAM IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK TO SOAR 5G NETWORK

In May 2019, Vietnam became one of the first countries in the world to successfully conduct a 5G-powered phone call. It was a milestone for Vietnam, given Hanoi's lofty plans to deploy a 5G network for commercial operations, using domestically developed technology.

The number of 5G subscriptions in Vietnam is forecast to reach 6.3 million in 2025, according to a report by the market leader in network equipment manufacturing - Cisco. The early rollout of 5G services could boost the annual revenue of telecommunication firms by as much as USD 300 million from 2025. However, they need to invest approx. USD 1.5 - 2.5 billion in technology in the period 2020-2025.

Vietnam is on the right track to meet its lofty 5G plans, but the path ahead includes a myriad of obstacles in technology, national security, and governance.

The official frequency planning announced by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MOIC) on August 20th, 2020, is considered a giant step forward in Vietnam's 5G development roadmap. The MOIC permitted Viettel and MobiFone to launch the commercial pilot of 5G technology until mid-2021. The former is allowed to pilot 5G services at no more than 140 locations in Hanoi. The latter shall carry out this pilot in Ho Chi Minh City at up to 50 Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs).

These pilot schemes are used to evaluate the potential of the market and the stability of 5G equipment before formal commercialization. Participants in these pilots are selected subscribers of Viettel and MobiFone with provided telecoms codes.

 NOT-ON-A-SLOW-TRACK PROGRESS

Prior to these commercial pilots, three of Vietnam's largest mobile carriers, including Viettel, MobiFone and VinaPhone, have finished the technical test for the 5G tech, making Vietnam one of the first countries to successfully pilot 5G in the world. Results show that along with the 10-time-faster speed, 5G's latency is only one-fifth of 4G's.

In November 2020, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, the Minister of Information and Communications, during a question and answer session at the National Assembly's meeting in Hanoi asserted that Vietnam's progress was "not slow" or out of line with the international speed when being asked about the progress of the national 5G network. He also claimed that the deployment of 5G in Vietnam would utilize about 70% of the existing 4G infrastructure - including base transceiver stations, antennas and other transmission equipment - translating to sizeable cost-saving. 5G will be rolled out in major urban areas first, and then scaled up in industrial parks, research zones and universities to facilitate the innovation and creation of new technologies, the Minister added.

Some anticipated difficulties comprise high device and service costs, selection limit of 5G-supported terminals, and narrow network coverage. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pilot schemes in Vietnam could not be carried out as fully as expected. That is not to mention the trouble in communication between regions and transport of necessary equipment.

Mr. Hung, however, said he was confident that 5G equipment and devices to be used by telecommunications and mobile operators will be fully "Make in Vietnam", apply high technologies, and come at more affordable prices in comparison to the imported versions.

HANOI AND HO CHI MINH CITY LAUNCHED 5G COMMERCIAL PILOTS IN NOVEMBER 2020

In the afternoon of November 30th, the Military Telecom Industry Group (Viettel) officially kick-started a 5G service in Hanoi launching ceremony, named "Hello Vietnam from 5G Viettel". At the official launch of the 5G trial in Hanoi, Viettel claimed that they would offer the largest number of 5G broadcasting stations ever, providing the widest and most seamless coverage for customers to have a real experience with the best quality.

Viettel  is  using  both  imported  and  self-developed equipment on the 5G network infrastructure. Of which, 15 stations have 8T8R antennas (8 receivers and 8 transmitters) researched and produced by Viettel staff and engineers; the others are state-of-the-art 64T64R type (64 receivers and 64 transmitters), doubling both radius of coverage and capacity in comparison to 4T4R antennas commonly used in Vietnam.

Customers using 5G-enabled cell phones in the downtown of Hoan Kiem District, Ba Dinh District, and Hai Ba Trung District may now enjoy 5G service without SIM card upgrade. During the trial period, Viettel provided unlimited 5G data free of charge. Specifically, 5G promises device speeds approx. 10 times faster than 4G. Initial tests show that Viettel's 5G speed services may download a 90-minute HD movie in just 30 seconds (tens of times faster than 4G services), watch live football, play online games and more with lag-free experiences.

AfterHanoi,Viettelwillcontinuetoexpandthe5Gnetworkfortheearly5GcommercialtestinDaNangCityandHoChiMinhCity.

AlsoonNovember30th,MobiFoneTelecommunicationCorporationannouncedthatfromNovember27th,MobiFonewouldtestthespeedof5GserviceinHoChiMinhCity.AtatestingpointinDistrict1,the5Gspeedis600-800Mbpswithapeakof1.5Gbps,equivalenttothehigh-endfiber-opticInternet. MobiFonerevealedthatithadplannedtocover5GintheentireDistrict1thefollowingmonth.

Previously,onNovember26thand27th,customersinHanoiandHoChiMinhCityhadtheopportunitytoexperience VinaPhone5G when VNPT Group officiallylauncheda5GcommercialtestinHanoiandHoChiMinhCity.