The government-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the country’s second-largest telecom carrier, has successfully tested its VinaPhone 5G network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s two biggest cities.
According to a press release, test results show that the VinaPhone 5G network achieves a download throughput of more than 2.2 Gbps, 10 times faster than the 4G network and has a latency of almost zero.
These results are close to the world’s 5G standards and the best 5G test results ever achieved in Vietnam.
To secure 5G testing results, VNPT has cooperated with the world’s leading equipment manufacturers, enabled advanced features and optimized the network structure.
The speed of VinaPhone 5G network has been tested in services requiring high broadband speed, low latency such as virtual reality interaction (AR/VR), cloud gaming (online games), 8K videos, among others.
Further, the trial 5G network is integrated into VinaPhone’s existing wireless, transmission and core networks. Therefore, VNPT is ready in terms of technology, technology and network structure for deploying commercial 5G network.
In addition to researching and applying 5G in the fields of entertainment, business, transportation, healthcare, education, VNPT is exploring the possibility of providing Internet to subscribers via 5G network, replacing fibre-optic systems.
5G is expected to play a significant role in giving Internet access to remote areas, contributing to building the foundation for digital transformation in the countryside.
A VNPT representative said that the VinaPhone 5G network will not only provide high-speed data but also helps to create a digital ecosystem to users and e-government platforms, smart cities, among others.
This contributes to affirming VNPT’s role in constructing e-government and providing a new generation of mobile services in Vietnam.
In November 2018, the Minister of Information and Communications (MIC), Nguyen Manh Hung said at a conference that Vietnam should test 5G in 2019 and ensure nationwide coverage by 2020.
5G is the latest generation of mobile Internet connectivity and should offer much faster speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices compared to the current 3G and 4G technologies.
In 2019, Vietnam’s largest telecommunications company Viettel announced its 5G trial and made the country’s first 5G phone call in Hanoi. It plans to expand the test in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and launch commercial 5G services in 2020.
OpenGov reported earlier that Vietnam’s telecommunication market is becoming more attractive to overseas investors, propelled by the government’s strategy to consider it a key driver for the country’s digital economy and step-up of the divestment of state-owned telecom corporations.
The government’s plans for the fourth industrial revolution along with smart cities, startups, and the National Innovation Network Programme, enabled by state-of-the-art 4G/5G, internet-of-things, and mobile telecommunication networks, are helping the ICT sector record strong revenue growth.
In 2020 and 2021, there will be some obvious trends in Vietnam. First, the commercial launch of some big telecoms service operators. The launch will be made gradually with careful steps towards market demands and economic efficiency.