Viettel, MobiFone licenced to commercially test 5G

Telecom providers Viettel and Mobifone have received licences from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to commercially test fifth-generation (5G) broadcast in Hanoi and HCM City.
Viettel, MobiFone licenced to commercially test 5G ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: Viettel)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Telecom providers Viettel and Mobifone have receivedlicences from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) tocommercially test fifth-generation (5G) broadcast in Hanoi and HCM City.

The military-run group can test in Hanoi with a maximum of 140 basetransceiver stations (BTSs) while MobiFone can do so in HCM City with 50 BTSs.Viettel will use planned broadbands of 2,500-2,600MHZ, 3.700-3.800MHzand 27.100-27.500MHz for the commercial test. Meanwhile, MobiFone will usethe broadband of 2.600MHz according to the national planning on radio frequencyspectrum and regulations on radio frequency management.

The licence will be evaluated by the end of June 2021.

The tests are expected to help the companies evaluate their technology andmarket size before launching commercial operations.

Both Viettel and MobiFone are allowed to test mobile ground telecommunicationnetworks using radio frequency bands with International MobileTelecommunications-2020 (IMT-2020 Standard)technology according to 5G specifications (3GPP) standard version 15 andsubsequent versions.

Mobile subscribers of the network operators who are connected to publictelecommunications networks can join the commercial test.

The companies need to follow cybersecurity safety and privacy regulations whilerunning the tests, the ministry said.

The first 5G phone call in the country was made on January 17 using equipmentmanufactured by Viettel, which has been conducting non-commercial tests andinstalling equipment since last year.

The number of 5G subscriptions could hit 6.3 million or 6 percent of totalmobile subscriptions by 2025, according to a forecast from technologyconglomerate Cisco.

5G is said to offer speeds 100 times faster than 4G and support newapplications like remote medical procedures and autonomous driving.

Earlier, Viettel and Vingroup JSC signed a co-operation agreement to develop a5G gNodeB mobile base station system.

The two sides agreed last month to complete the set of specifications for 5Gbase station products and complete two laboratories for each side.

It is expected that the two sides will make the first test call on the 3,600 -3,800 MHz band next month./.
VNA

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