QUẢNG NINH — Quảng Ninh has proposed a trial project for the Quảng Ninh Free Digital and Knowledge Economic Zone on nearly 26,400ha, geared toward promoting data, AI, semiconductors and digital technologies.

Together with the development of smart cities, Digital Twin, data centre and smart border gates, safe, stable and connected digital infrastructure are an important foundation to realise other digital economic models on the locality.

Growth space based on data

According to a proposal made by Quảng Ninh Province, the Free Digital and Knowledge Economic Zone is expected to be on a 26,400ha over 10 wards and communes and is designed to have three functional areas that are connected and complimenting each other. 

This model is expected to create a new growth space based on science and technology, renovation and digital transformation, and at the same time attracting technology corporations, investors, experts, engineers and high-skilled workers both from overseas and in the country. 

In order to run a large-size digital economic space, the requirements are not only the data centres, digital platforms or smart appliances, but also an infrastructure capable to connect and stabilise, and be inter-disciplinary and safe.

In that system of infrastructure, the Specialized Data Transmission Network plays the role of connecting government agencies, serving data exchange and operating shared information systems, while assisting to set up a digital government and digital management at the locality.

Currently, Quảng Ninh has 100 per cent of its state establishments connected via the Specialized Data Transmission Network. This is one of the infrastructure platforms for the province to continue enlarging the systems serving operations and management, and providing digital services. 

When the Quảng Ninh Free Digital and Knowledge Economic Zone implemented, demand for connection will grow much higher, not only among government management bodies, but also among data centres, surveillance system, management platforms and other models of smart cities. 

According to the proposal, the Sub section No. 2 of the Free Digital and Knowledge Economic Zone shall have about 19,380ha, with functions such as Digital Twin, an exemplary digital admin centre, ecological towns, a Disaster Recovery Site, industries and logistics.

These are models that depend much on data and real connection time. 

The Digital Twin requires the ability to collect, transmit and classify a great amount of data from various sources to serve surveillance purposes, simulating and assisting in decision-making processes. The Disaster Recovery Site also requires the ability to maintain connections and ensure all information systems continue their information transmission. 

The fact that Quảng Ninh Province has completed its Specialized Data Transmission Network among 100 per cent of government agencies has established the pre-conditions for the province's leaders to continue building and enlarging the digital management systems, gradually setting up a data-base management environment. 

Connected for digital management

Along with the Digital and Free Knowledge Economic Zone, Quảng Ninh has already implemented many digital infrastructures, including the Trial project on the smart border gate Móng Cái (Việt Nam) to Dongxing (China).

At the border gate, Biometric recognition technology, automatic border control e-Gate and other automation solutions are implemented to reduce procedure times, raising the quality of border screening and control. 

For the flow of merchandise at Bắc Luân II Bridge, the provincial authorities have used the Intelligent Guided-Vehicles on 5G platforms and a modern navigating system geared toward continuous flow logistics. 

These models have shown a new trend from scattered technology applications to building a digital economic ecological system that can connect many systems, in which the telecommunications network, data transmission network, and other data platforms play the role of connecting infrastructure. 

In government management, the Specialized Data Transmission Network continues to be part of the infrastructure digital architecture, helping to ensure safe connections between offices, bodies, and a communications system serving assignment and management. 

Setting up a digital ecological system

Together with network infrastructure, Quảng Ninh has been promoting 5G, data centres, digital platforms and a smart management system. The 5G network percentage of the province has reached as much as 94 per cent of the population, while 100 per cent of administrative procedures have become digital. 

Quảng Ninh Province has also signed a long-term strategic partnership with the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology and other big corporations such as FPT, MobiFone, VNPT, Viettel, GTel in order to mobilise resources to develop science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. 

In this whole picture, a synchronised development of digital infrastructure, from the transformation network, Specialized Data Transmission Network, 5G to building data centres and other shared platforms, plays a crucial role in operating future digital economic models. 

When data gradually becomes the vital resources of the economy, the requirements of the connected infrastructure must switch from connected to stable, transferable, safe and ready to serve large-size digital systems. 

This is also a prerequisite condition for models like smart cities, Digital Twin, Disaster Recovery Site, smart border gates and digital governance to function together simultaneously, making a complete ecology instead of separate tech systems. 

The Free Digital and Knowledge Economic Zone shows us that Quảng Ninh is heading toward building a growth space based on technology and data. In that process, the Specialised Data Transmission Network together with other connected digital infrastructure can continue to play as a foundational role, helping to secure connection of safe operating abilities for a digital government, as well as creating conditions for enlarging other digital economic models in the region. — VNS