Viettel becomes world's 6th provider of 5G device

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam’s telecom firm Viettel announced it is the 6th company in the world to manufacture 5G devices.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and Minister of Science and Technology (MoST) Chu Ngoc Anh made the first video call with Viettel's gNodeB transceiver in Hanoi on January 17.

The gNodeB transceiver made by Viettel includes both software and hardware. The device was developed in six months, starting in June 2019.

Last April, the carrier used a foreign-made device to make a call via the 5G network. Now, after 8 months, Viettel has helped Vietnam master 5G technology.

According to Viettel, it is now the sixth provider of 5G devices globally. Others include Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Samsung and ZTE.

As the Government of Vietnam sets a goal to go digital, Viettel General Director Le Dang Dung said the 5G network will determine the success of the digital economy, adding that many countries are using 5G services to strengthen their science-technology position on the global market and develop their economies.

It’s why Viettel considers 5G to be the most strategic project of the group, he said.

Attending the event, Minister of Science and Technology Anh said the move is a very rare opportunity, creating a R&D platform for Vietnam to develop further.

Viettel said it will start commercialising the devices by June this year and produce the devices on a large scale a year later./.