According to a press release by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), all of Ho Chi Minh city’s 24 districts will have Internet of Things (IoT) broadcasting stations installed this month.
The project will make the city the first in Vietnam to be fully covered with an IoT network.
IoT is a system of interrelated computing devices and machines with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
Connected devices and smart devices are embedded with electronic components, software, and sensors with computer network connection capability, making it possible for them to collect and transmit data.
Media reports have said that the state-owned Viettel Group is set to announce the completion of IoT and 5G infrastructure, transforming HCM city into a smart city.
Around 1,000 Narrow Band-IoT (NB-IoT) broadcasting stations have been activated, covering the whole city.
NB-IoT technology is capable of disconnecting a device when it is inactive. Thus, the contact time of the terminal is extended to five years without the need for changing the battery.
Viettel is also accelerating the process of developing a platform using NB-IoT technology-related services for its customers. It will perform services like smart parking, air quality monitoring, location tracking, and metering devices.
IoT boom
With IoT technology developing strongly, other provinces and cities in the country will also have full NB-IoT coverage soon, the release said.
Viettel announced that after HCM City it will cover Ha Noi. Nearly 500 NB-IoT broadcasting stations have been installed and activated in the Cau Giay District and some suburban districts.
The deputy general director of Viettel noted that the group planned to take IoT technology to every province and city in the country.
Viettel is not the only organisation that offers IoT technology, with several services studying and developing infrastructure for it.
For instance, the government-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications group (VNPT) is investing in IoT by developing a Smart Connected Platform and hopes to serve customers in smart transportation, tourism, and agriculture.
On IoT trends, telecom experts say with Industry 4.0, the concept of customers has been expanded from people to things.
There are various estimates, with one saying that by 2020, globally, around 20 billion devices will be fitted with sensors and controllers via NB-IoT technology, accounting for 74% of all devices.
By 2025, about 40 billion smart devices around the world will be with a total of about 100 billion connections in sectors like transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and finance.
The Viettel group has broadcast its first end-to-end 5G network in HCM City and is offering the public a chance to experience 5G services for the first time.
In a press release, the organisation said it had set up 5G base stations in Ward 12 in the city’s District 10.
The official broadcast of 5G in HCM City is an important milestone in Viettel’s strategy to make Vietnam one of the first countries in the world to commercialise 5G services, it said.
5G is not just an upgraded version from old technologies but is a revolution for connection services, MIC stated earlier. 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.