Ericsson said that the deal also stipulates the modernization of Viettel’s 4G network infrastructure
Vietnamese telecommunications operator Viettel has awarded the majority of its nationwide 5G radio access network (RAN) deployment to Swedish vendor Ericsson, the latter said in a release.
Ericsson said its 5G products and services will be deployed across the majority of provinces in Vietnam under the new contract, which is scheduled to start immediately.
Ericsson’s 5G deployment will include the capital Hanoi and the north and central parts of Vietnam when complete. The extended partnership will also include the modernization of Viettel’s 4G network across the same geographical areas.
The Swedish vendor noted that the Ericsson Radio System will enhance Viettel’s network capabilities, enabling a faster 5G rollout and high-speed connectivity for customers across the Asian country.
Viettel is also getting ready for continuous spectrum re-farming to New Radio (NR), utilizing the 2.6GHz spectrum for both 4G and 5G Non-standalone (NSA) and also paving the way for a future 5G Standalone (5G SA) deployment, the vendor said.
Tao Duc Thang, president and CEO at Viettel, said: “This year marks a significant milestone year for Vietnam with the commercial deployment of 5G. 5G will deliver superior user experience and enable new enterprise features that will unleash the capabilities of Industry 4.0 and enable the digital transformation of Vietnam.”
“5G is the backbone for digitized economies and a driver of inclusive growth. Our partnership with Viettel heralds a new era of technological advancement for Vietnam, with 5G serving as a catalyst for innovation and digital transformation. Together, we will explore new frontiers in 5G, including network slicing, enterprise applications, and the expansion of Industry 4.0 use cases,” said Rita Mokbel, head of Ericsson Vietnam.
Both companies have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of promoting 5G adoption in Vietnam. This agreement stipulates that the two companies will collaborate towards developing innovative 5G use cases as well as creating a robust developer ecosystem in Vietnam to build reliable and innovative applications powered by 5G technology.
Ericsson and Viettel will focus on key areas such as 5G network slicing to provide differentiated connectivity, developer enablement via network APIs and knowledge exchange on emerging technologies.
Finnish vendor Nokia recently announced that it has signed a new commercial deal with Viettel Group to deploy 5G equipment across Vietnam.
Nokia had claimed the new contract will lead to the deployment of 5G for the first time at a nationwide level in Vietnam.
The 5G project will cover 22 provinces across the country and support Viettel’s strategy of advancing 5G infrastructure and digital transformation, Nokia said.
The contract stipulates that Nokia will supply equipment from its 5G AirScale portfolio for the first time in Vietnam. This includes Nokia’s next-generation AirScale baseband solutions, Massive MIMO radios, and remote radio head products.
In August, Viettel said it has successfully tested a 5G Standalone (5G SA) network, becoming the first domestic operator in Vietnam to do so after receiving a 5G frequency license from the Ministry of Information and Communications.
