Vietnam will start the development of 6G technology this year. While announcing the government’s plan at the recent telecom conference, Minister of Information and Communications (MIC), Nguyen Manh Hung said that the time has arrived for the country to join the race for the sixth-generation cellular network. He said the country will stress cloud computing, digital platforms, and software development.
The Minister added that strengthening digital infrastructure is its main priority and targets a top 30 states with the most robust digital infrastructures by 2025. To achieve this, the Minister says, Vietnam must step up and take the lead in telecommunications. It wants to oversee R & D into 6G hardware, and also develop the 5G network. Hung also called on domestic firms to invest in the country’s 6G ambitions and promised they would receive special benefits from the government for their helping hands.
At the conference, Hung said the government could allocate the 6G spectrum license by 2028 and proceed towards commercial rollout.
“Telecom networks must quickly transition to cloud-based and software-based architectures, so that the network becomes intelligent and flexible, and can be software-configured into numerous specialized sub-networks. Open RAN will be used as a technology for 5G, 6G development,” he said.
Vietnam’s 6G Plans Alongside 5G
While Vietnam plans for 6G, it is is rolling out 5G commercially this year and aims at 25% of coverage by 2025. At the moment, 4G covers 99.8 percent of mobile users in the country.
Vietnam has so far exploited 5G equipment of core, transmission, and access network in pilot testing. In the meantime, it has completed installing 5G stations using Open Radio Access Network (ORAN). This has enabled download and upload speeds of 900 Mbps and 60 Mbps respectively. But it is reported that the telcos are still hesitant with 5G given the less excitement with the 5G network among mobile users.
To address this, MIC says three major telcos – VNPT, MobiFone, and Viettel should each cover 25% of the national surface area and allow users to use their own facilities. This will greatly balance the cheques and also reach full coverage of 5G in one year. The Ministry will install shared base stations throughout the country to make 5G commercialization feasible for the telcos.
So far, the operators running commercial trials of 5G services in 16 provinces and cities.
Vietnam’s 6G plans make it another play for the next-gen tech in Asia. So far, Korean companies LG and Samsung have made successful testings for the tech while china has recorded the highest-ever throughput in a custom 6G test. Recently, Japan signed a pact with the US to lead its own 6G research.
With 5G just gaining momentum, states are already making plans for 6G. Has 5G even convinced us yet? What do you think? Share with us in the comments below.