Ericsson seeks to become ally ahead of Vietnam's 5G rollout

During a digital conference titled 'Enablers for Digital Economy Development in Vietnam' at VIR headquarters on September 30, Ericsson Vietnam president, Rita Mokbel, announced a detailed roadmap to set Vietnam on the right path for the digital age.

Rita Mokbel, president, Ericsson Vietnam

"5G is not just the next step in technological advancement, it is the cornerstone of the digital transformation that both Vietnam and the world need. With the support of the government and our partners, we can ensure that Vietnam is equipped with the most advanced, secure, and competitive network infrastructure, driving us towards a prosperous digital future," Mokbel said, adding, "Our top priority is to assist Vietnamese carriers in upgrading to 5G in the most seamless manner. The goal is to achieve faster network speeds, wider bandwidth, and minimise disruptions for consumers, while also helping carriers increase their value in the supply chain."

Additionally, she emphasised that Ericsson will leverage its global experience to support Vietnam.

"With our global experience in this field, we are ready to share international use cases to develop new scenarios tailored to Vietnam. We have signed MoUs with major carriers and research institutions to build human resources and open ecosystems, facilitating the development and application of 5G in the most efficient way," she added.

India and Malaysia have been cited as examples of the potential economic contribution of 5G. India has rolled out 5G across more than 446,000 sites in less than 19 months, providing up to 90 per cent coverage. Currently, there are over 198 million 5G subscriptions in the country, leading to a surge in global rankings for network performance.

Malaysia has also recognised this potential, with forecasts suggesting that 5G will contribute between $28 and $32 billion to the economy by 2030. These nations have harnessed 5G as a tool to drive economic development, attract investment, and advance their digital agendas.

Explaining the economic potential, Mokbel said, "5G will revolutionise sectors like manufacturing, where it enables automation, cost-efficiency, and productivity gains. We have already seen a 120 per cent increase in productivity in industries that have adopted 5G, along with a 32 per cent reduction in waste. These results demonstrate the real-world impact of 5G and its ability to drive both innovation and efficiency in sectors such as logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing."

According to Mokbel, 5G can shift healthcare services from offline to online, enabling better patient monitoring and providing real-time updates.

Similarly, manufacturing, a key sector for Vietnam, will greatly benefit from 5G’s ability to automate and optimise production processes, especially as foreign investors continue to build production bases here.

Vietnam aims to have the digital economy contribute 20 per cent to GDP next year and 30 per cent by 2030. The share of the digital economy in each sector is targeted to reach at least 10 per cent next year, doubling by 2030. By the end of this decade, Vietnam is expected to rank among the top 30 countries globally in IT, competitiveness, and innovation.

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