AIS launched 5G standalone services in July 2020
Thai mobile service provider Advanced Info Service Plc. (AIS) has partnered with Chinese smartphone manufacturer vivo to run 5G Standalone (SA) network tests in Thailand.
This is the first time that vivo has stepped outside of China to participate in 5G SA testing. However, in a press release, the company said this won’t be the last, indicating that it has plans to work with operators in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan to conduct further 5G SA testing in those respective countries as well sometime this year.
The tests took place in Bangkok and utilized a vivo V21 5G smartphone, achieving, according to the companies, impressively high speeds of connectivity.
vivo’s 5G Standard Expert Tamrakar Rakesh said the company is “honored to be among the first mobile device providers that is participating in the commercialization of Thailand’s 5G SA networks.”
“Owing to our user-oriented approach towards innovation and desire to bridge users with the digital world, vivo is armed with first-hand knowledge of serving the evolving consumer preferences. As a key contributor to 5G standards in the world, we are glad that vivo users in Thailand can now enjoy the high-speed connectivity of this new generation,” he continued.
AIS launched 5G NSA (non-standalone) service in February 2020 using the 700MHz, 2600 MHz and 26 GHz bandwidth that it won in the spectrum auction, followed by 5G SA in July 2020 in cooperation with Huawei. Just a month later, the operator claimed that its 5G SA network was present in all 77 provinces in Thailand.
