Viettel commercially deploys 5G Open RAN network "Make in Vietnam, Made by Viettel"

At the 5G ORAN Vietnam Connect 2024 event held at the headquarters of Viettel High Tech, Viettel announced the large-scale commercial deployment of the 5G Open RAN broadcasting station "Make in Vietnam, Made by Viettel".

Viettel High Tech and Qualcomm signed an agreement to upgrade their comprehensive strategic cooperation in the fields of 5G and 6G - Photo: VGP/MT

This is the world's first 5G Open RAN broadcasting station using Qualcomm chipsets, jointly researched and developed by Viettel and Qualcomm. Accordingly, from the beginning of 2025, Viettel will deploy more than 300 5G Open RAN stations in a number of provinces and cities, moving towards large-scale expansion in Vietnam and the international market from 2025. This is a new step forward in Vietnam, because previously 3G and 4G stations researched by Viettel were installed and tested for broadcasting. With 5G, Viettel has set a major milestone when accompanying the world when simultaneously deploying on a nationwide 5G network. The event is a milestone demonstrating the pioneering role of Viettel and Qualcomm in the revolution of promoting 5G infrastructure technology towards the Open RAN open standard. The first broadcasting stations deployed have demonstrated the advantages of Open RAN technology. Technical indicators on Download, Upload speed, coverage area, number of users, energy consumption, show that the quality of the Open RAN network developed by Viettel has reached a level equivalent to that of traditional 5G networks, while the cost of infrastructure investment and operation is more optimal. This is very important to popularize 5G technology across the country. With the deployment of 5G Open RAN broadcasting stations, Viettel High Tech has completed the portfolio of complete 5G solutions from core network to radio blocks (RAN). Viettel High Tech can provide complete solutions for customers to deploy private networks or public networks. The strength of Viettel's 5G solution set is its openness according to the Open RAN standard. Network operators using Viettel solutions can be flexible in combining multiple suppliers to create a sustainable partner ecosystem. "Viettel's 5G Open RAN solution has reached commercialization after a rigorous development and testing process," said Nguyen Vu Ha, General Director of Viettel High Tech. "The cooperation between Viettel High Tech and Qualcomm Technologies has helped both sides shorten the product development cycle by many years. This cooperation has helped both sides provide high-quality, cost-effective 5G solutions to the international market and build a sustainable ecosystem."

The event is a milestone demonstrating the pioneering role of Viettel and Qualcomm in the revolution of promoting 5G infrastructure technology towards the Open RAN open standard - Photo: VGP/MT

"Qualcomm is committed to driving innovation in the telecommunications industry so that operators can deliver the best 5G experience to their users," said Durga Malladi, Senior President and General Manager of 5G at Qualcomm Technologies. "The latest technologies from Viettel and Qualcomm applied in radio blocks and automated network management systems will bring flexibility, high performance, and reduce investment costs for 5G networks." In the 5G Open RAN broadcasting station development project, VHT and Qualcomm engineers participated in the core technology design and product application stages. This is a product with very high technology content, a synthesis of many techniques such as radio, signal processing, power optimization, device management, etc. The project was carried out by more than 500 leading engineers from two corporations from Vietnam, the US, Finland, Israel, India... Viettel engineers are responsible for system design, software and hardware development. Qualcomm is responsible for 5G chipset items. Not only will this product be widely deployed in Vietnam from early 2025, it will also be deployed by both parties to international customers from 2025. Mr. Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific at GSMA, commented: "Open RAN brings a transformative opportunity to the mobile industry to accelerate network innovation, enhance competitiveness and enable sustainable infrastructure deployment. As one of the first operators to deploy Open RAN on a large scale, Viettel is setting a strong example for the industry, not only in Asia Pacific but also globally. This is a testament to the innovative leadership role of Viettel and Qualcomm in promoting the future of connectivity". Also at the event, Viettel High Tech and Qualcomm signed an agreement to upgrade their comprehensive strategic cooperation in the field of 5G and 6G. This is a milestone marking the success of the cooperation model between the two corporations in the past and moving towards greater goals in the future.