The first trial 5G service base-transceiver station (BTS) in Việt Nam was installed at Viettel's building in Hoàn Kiếm District. — Photo courtesy of Viettel

HÀ NỘI — Telecom provider Viettel last week installed its first trial 5G service base-transceiver station (BTS) in Việt Nam.

The 5G BTS was installed at Viettel’s building in Hoàn Kiếm District. The other two BTSs will be installed at No 19 Duy Tân and at its headquarters at 1 Trần Hữu Dực in Hà Nội. It is expected that the first 5G BTSs will officially broadcast 5G services.

Viettel said it planned to install 70 5G trial BTSs in Hà Nội and HCM City in June so that it can collect a detailed evaluation on coverage, data and maximum speed to prepare for 5G network planning and design nationwide.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam at a 5G conference last month said that 5G was highly significant to Việt Nam and ASEAN countries as part of their co-operation to develop a digital economy.

A 5G network will not only be a breakthrough in terms of speed, but will also create a new internet era of artifical intelligence (AI) and blockchain that will basically change the world’s production methods, he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng said that 5G would be an opportunity for Việt Nam to improve its ranking in the world. Việt Nam would implement a trial 5G in 2019 and provide 5G services in 2020. It will be among the first countries in the world to deploy 5G.

Hùng said that 5G would help develop the country’s ICT industry.

A 5G network was first deployed globally on April 4 by providers at SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus (South Korea) and Verizon (the US). — VNS