China’s Huawei Technologies believes it stands a good chance of being chosen to supply 5G network equipment to Vietnam’s mobile carriers, Fine Fan, the Chinese company’s local chief executive told Nikkei Asian Review in an interview.
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Huawei's global expansion has faced headwinds as countries block or reconsider participation by the world's biggest telecommunications equipment supplier in local 5G network projects.
Huawei has been the largest provider of 2G and 3G network equipment in Vietnam, though the company lost its lead when 4G arrived, according to Fan.
Major mobile carriers in Vietnam have already announced plans to develop 5G networks using equipment from other suppliers, including Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung Electronics.
Military-run Viettel, the country's biggest mobile carrier, received a trial license to start testing 5G service in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City -- partly using its own technology. The company said it has made progress in developing core software and hardware for 5G.
Meanwhile, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT), the second largest carrier, has teamed up with Nokia to develop a 5G network. Third-ranked MobiFone signed an agreement with Samsung in March to boost 5G-related development.
Local carriers plan to launch ultrafast 5G networks by 2021, a move in line with the government's push to make Vietnam a hub for industries that rely on faster data transmission, such as artificial intelligence and the "internet of things."
Last November, Nguyen Manh Hung, who lead Viettel before being appointed minister of Information and Communications (MIC), said that by 2020 when the world starts implementing 5G, Vietnam would be one of the first countries launching it.
Hung added that while all 2G and 3G network devices are imported, Vietnam will be able to produce the 5G network devices locally by 2020.
