From a nation which followed and learned from countries like South Korea and Singapore, Vietnam has become a country which creates new technologies, said Phan Xuan Dung, chair of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment.

Dung spoke at an important event witnessing the first call made with 5G technology on Viettel network with ‘made in Vietnam’ equipment on January 17.

On that historic day, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and Minister of Science and Technology (MoST) Chu Ngoc Anh made the first video call with gNodeB, which was researched and developed by Viettel, which included both software and hardware devices.

Viettel’s engineers developed gNodeB 5G within six months, from June and December 2019 on the basis of the experience it gained from the development eNodeB, the transceiver for 4G and from the pre-feasibility study for 5G.

As such, eight months after the day Viettel, the first Vietnamese mobile network operator and top 50 network operators in the world, made the first 5G call with imported devices in May 2019, Vietnam now masters 5G technology.

Viettel has become the 6th company in the world to manufacture 5G devices, and Vietnam is among the first countries in the world mastering the modern technology.

Viettel has become the 6th company in the world to manufacture 5G devices, and Vietnam is among the first countries in the world mastering the modern technology.

“We can do the things that seem to be impossible,” Dung said.

“In the past, Vietnam was always behind developed countries and learned from core-network developed countries like G7 or non-core network countries such as China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. But we have joined the group of countries that create new technologies with ‘Make in Vietnam’,” he commented.

Dung went on to say that Vietnam has turned irregularities into regularities. As for Viettel, the technology firm does not follow the normal way but goes a new way because it understands that to develop and become the leader, one needs to overcome difficulties and experience challenges.

Regarding the future of Vietnam’s 5G technology, he said it is difficult to create products, but it will be even more difficult to develop a market for the products.

Viettel has asked the government to apply necessary measures to encourage domestic enterprises to use telecom products made in Vietnam.

“If there is no market, no product will be able to develop, especially for science and technology, high-tech products,” Dung commented.

The creation of a market for hi-tech products, according to Dung, is the responsibility of state management agencies.

MIC Minister Nguyen Manh Hung received a delegation of the US congressmen on January 20. At the meeting, the minister asked the US side to discuss with Vietnam about the building of technical standards for 5G and check if the 5G devices made by Vietnam can satisfy the requirements to enter the US market. 

Le Ha

Viettel uses own device to make first 5G call

Local telecom carrier Viettel has successfully carried out the first 5G video call using its own gNodeB transceiver, becoming one of the few companies in the world that can manufacture fifth generation devices.  

Vietnam tries to catch ‘5G express train’

The "super internet" 5G revolution is taking place all over the world, including Vietnam.