According to a press release, even though Vietnam launched 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies later than many other countries, with the first 5G call early last month, Vietnam has become one of the nations with the earliest successful piloting of the 5G mobile network in the world.
The results of the implementation of the first official connection on Viettel’s 5G network showed that the actual data transfer rate reached 1.5-1.7 gigabyte per second (Gb/s), far exceeding the theoretical speed limit of the 4G LTE network, and equivalent to the speed of the commercial cable network at present. This is an important premise towards the commercialisation of the technology in 2020, in line with the plan set by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).
The Deputy Director General of Viettel said that in 2019, the group will continue to expand the testing of the 5G mobile network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to get input information in service of MIC’s comprehensive assessment of the 5G technology, based on the criteria: coverage, capacity, maximum speed, and compatibility between 5G devices and the current infrastructure.
The group plans to commercialise the 5G technology in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by 2020, initially providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services, and then expand the coverage scale to the whole country in the following years.
5G is not just an upgraded version from old technologies but is a revolution for connection services. Therefore, the implementation strategy of this new technology will not be similar to that for 4G previously (simultaneously implemented nationwide). Instead, it will first prioritise the areas with high usage or the locations in need of replacing the cable network.
The press release stated that 2G technology has opened an era of connectivity for mobile devices, 3G helps mobile phones connected to the Internet, and 4G liberates the power of smart mobile devices (smartphones). It can be said that these technologies have changed the lives of humanity.
5G technology is capable of providing connection bandwidth 50 times as higher as the combined rate of 2G, 3G, and 4G, with hyper speed and extremely low latency, almost as if in real time.
The security with this technology was also implemented well during the design phase, so it will be much safer than technologies of previous generations. Therefore, 5G will lead to a completely new reality, where everyone is connected to the Internet and can share data at extremely fast rates using a cable network, without being interrupted.
5G also creates large-scale connections for the IoT.
As a platform for connectivity, 5G will help improve the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution through promoting the digitalisation of all industries such as manufacturing, transport, agriculture, energy, health, and education.
By bringing 5G service to Vietnam early, network operators are building a creative innovation platform for Industry 4.0, contributing to creating a new wave of socio-economic development.
The MIC Minister noted that the development process from 2G to 5G has witnessed the movement in mastering technology from Europe to Asia. In the early days of 2G, there were no suppliers of devices in Asia. But now, providers of 5G devices are almost all companies from China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.
The country has successfully manufactured 4G devices, so its next target is to manufacture telecommunications electronics, including 5G devices. Mobile network operators need to construct the telecoms-information technology infrastructure to serve digital transformation, towards building a digital Vietnam, the release said.
