How to commercialise 5G to promote Vietnamese digital transformation

VOV.VN - An online seminar titled “Getting 5G ready for Vietnam’s digital transformation” was held by Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) on April 4 as part of efforts to discuss issues on 5G commercialization to promote local digital transformation.

Talking points at the seminar will primarily focus on necessary and sufficient conditions for the country to successfully commercialize 5G, along with further opportunities and challenges once the nation officially licenses 5G commercial operators.

Over the past two years, it is widely considered that 5G technology has developed by leaps and bounds, far exceeding the initial forecasts of many technology companies as 5G begins to change the way firms do business globally.

With commercial 5G consumer networks already underway worldwide, the next wave of 5G expansion is poised to bring about benefits such as enhanced mobility, flexibility, reliability, and security to all types of enterprises. The era of 5G-powered business has therefore arrived with plenty of fresh opportunities for service providers.

The country is not outside the world's "5G orbit" and is in the process of rapidly catching up with this trend to become among the first nations to run 5G trials. At the end of 2020, all three major mobile providers, including VinaPhone, MobiFone, and Viettel, all started to launch 5G technology by announcing the trial of 5G services in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, before then expanding to other major metropolitan areas.

As a result, by the end of 2021 the 5G network had been commercially tested by the local operators Viettel, VNPT, and MobiFone in 16 provinces and cities nationwide.

In the context of the nation aspiring to develop a digital government, a digital economy, and a digital society, 5G is expected to play a fundamental role by enhancing broadband connection. Other benefits include improving rural coverage, creating conditions to narrow the digital divide, developing Industry 4.0, and increasing the contribution of the digital media sector to the country’s GDP.

An important component of the country’s socio-economic development strategy is the development of the digital economy, a factor which is projected to contribute 7% of GDP by 2025 and 7.5% by 2030.

Moving forward, the Ministry of Information and Communications is set to officially license 5G commercialization, with this technology soon covering high-tech industrial parks. This is the determination of the information and communication industry as it helps the nation join other leading countries in developing 5G technology.

At present, the Ministry of Information and Communications is in the process of putting the final touches on preparation to officially license 5G network operators.

According to experts, as a means of commercializing 5G faster, the nation must possess sufficient bandwidth, coupled with diverse 5G services, and available low-cost terminal equipment.

Moreover, investment in 5G infrastructure is also a matter of concern in the context of high investment costs coupled with declining telecommunications revenue.

Tightening spending, investing in the common use of infrastructure and networks thereby represent solutions for operators to initially implement 5G domestically.

That is just one of many solutions to the problem as reducing investment costs also lies in choosing technology, using foreign equipment or self-manufacturing, and optimising costs in terms of markets and human resources.

Therefore, 5G operators must deliberate these issues during the implementation process.

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