Qualcomm gives wings to Vietnam to enter 4.0 era

Jim Cathey, president, Asia Pacific and India senior vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The newest generation of cellular technology, also known as 5G, is really close to launching. The biggest initial wave of 5G deployment will likely take place in 2019, with early adopters including North America, Europe, South Korea, Japan, and China. The countries that adopt 5G are expected to experience disproportionate economic gains compared to those that lag behind.

For Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, 5G is expected to be fuel for the new Industry 4.0 phenomenon. I believe that the country's leaders are wise enough to see the tremendous benefits that this next-generation technology would bring to Vietnam and its citizens. Therefore, they are likely to pounce on opportunities to facilitate 5G development.

In addition, it is apparent that many industries in Vietnam will benefit from 5G’s faster connectivity, such as telecommunications, smartphones, manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and agriculture, to name a few, if Vietnam can take advantage of LTE, a 4G mobile communications standard, and 5G technology development and system solutions.

5G deployment will also make it possible for Vietnam to build prototypes for different industries like medical, infrastructure, industrial IoT, and transportation. On the back of the 5G implementation, Vietnam can generate more business and jobs for locals as well as create new solutions to export to foreign markets.

What potential does Vietnam have for the rollout of 5G?

Over the past decade, Vietnam has been working to improve its engineering workforce to create a key competitive advantage. Therefore, the country has a strong potential engineering talent pool to enable 5G deployment. Furthermore, Vietnam is home to several innovative firms like FTP, Viettel, VNPT, and BKAV. These companies also have the engineering base to facilitate the preparation for 5G in the country.

As Vietnam has achieved nationwide LTE coverage, the country now has two major opportunities: First, they can take advantage of LTE to create new opportunities in core markets like smartphones, telecommunications, and IoT; Second, Vietnam can use the same base to quickly move towards 5G. I predict that Vietnam will look at the benefits of 5G and find ways to expedite the implementation process to bring it to market soon.

I believe that Vietnam will reap tremendous benefits from 5G as well as LTE, given that the country boasts one of the largest mobile penetration rates in the region. In addition, there will be closer collaboration between the public and private sector to roll out a faster and more expansive wireless network. Another benefit is that enterprises in Vietnam are able to develop their 5G private network to manage security without going through carriers.

What role would Qualcomm play in helping Vietnam accelerate 5G adoption?

More than just a chipset company, Qualcomm is actually a major research and development (R&D) company. With a long-standing R&D focus, nearly $50 billion in research spend, over 140,000 patents and more than 30 years of innovation in chipsets, software, services and integrated platform solutions, we create the foundational technologies that revolutionise the way people connect.

While many companies develop and keep new technologies for themselves, Qualcomm has created new technologies that are used by entire industries. Some of these technologies cover how the phone works, how it communicates, how the background infrastructure operates, as well as created a whole range of IoT solutions with connected devices.

As a result, Vietnamese companies and the government can gain access to a variety of technologies and products that Qualcomm developed. Based on this, they can develop new products and services for the local and foreign markets, which will ultimately contribute to the development of the country. That is how Qualcomm can help Vietnam move forward.

Moreover, Qualcomm can also offer Vietnam advice about building 5G technology. There are companies in Vietnam that clearly have the ability to develop small cells, which will be a key piece of the 5G platform, as they can offer extremely fast, ultra-low latency, and reliable connections. As Qualcomm made a long-term commitment to the Vietnamese market, we will continue to support Vietnamese companies and the government to lay the groundwork for this next-generation technology.

With which private companies does Qualcomm have a partnership in Vietnam? How will you enhance these partnerships in the context of Industry 4.0?

Our inventions have enabled our customers and partners to compete, innovate, and grow globally through a technology transfer model that democratises access to our underlying innovation engine

Qualcomm has longstanding relations with companies like Viettel, VNPT, and other carriers. The carriers not only have their own carrier services, but also develop their own products as well. We work with them on the development of their products. Qualcomm also has an engineer services group that works together with Vietnamese carriers to help them optimise their system for better coverage and service performance.

Qualcomm is looking to join forces with companies that want to use our products and technologies to develop new solutions and services in different industries. As entrepreneurship is gaining momentum in Vietnam, we are also looking to form stronger partnerships with the local tech startup community.

Moreover, Qualcomm has invested in engineering capability to support the development process in Vietnam. The firm not only creates jobs for local engineers but also provides training to enhance the skills of the nation’s workforce.

As a result, our engineers have been actively engaged with Vietnamese companies to help them develop new products. In recent years, we have brought in more capability to support a rising number of Vietnamese companies with product testing and designing.

Moving forward, we continue to support the telecommunications industry by offering consultancy and sharing our experience. In addition, we will help Vietnamese carriers so that they can improve efficiency and optimise their networks for customers.

Qualcomm will increasingly team up with companies from local industries, like smartphone, industrial and consumer IoT, and wearables, to support them develop new products.

In some cases, Qualcomm’s experienced global team has helped Vietnamese companies to promote their products overseas. These are testament to our efforts to accelerate Industry 4.0 in Vietnam.