Experiencing the benefits of 5G across industries

Large scale 5G rollout is expected in Vietnam in 2021. Do you think that the existing 4G infrastructure is qualified enough to assist in wide implementation?

Denis Brunetti, president of Ericsson in Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos

Vietnamese operators have showcased adequate preparedness in terms of infrastructure and network coverage to enable the commercial launch of 5G services later in 2021. We have proudly partnered with MobiFone, Vinaphone and Viettel in providing the 5G experience to the Vietnamese people across selected geographic areas in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Leveraging our 4G installed base across Vietnam, which is 5G ready, Ericsson is well positioned to enable service providers to seamlessly and efficiently transition from 4G to 5G.

What are some of the valuable activities Ericsson has been carrying out worldwide that Vietnam can learn from to find success on its digital infrastructure journey?

With over 67 per cent of multinational companies expected to relocate their manufacturing hubs to the Asia-Pacific region by 2025, we believe that Vietnam has a great opportunity of attracting much of this smart manufacturing investment. Ericsson has been deploying technology across the world to realise this vision of smart manufacturing, and we intend to bring the learnings from these use cases to Vietnam.

For example, Ericsson and Audi have been collaborating to expand the horizons of tomorrow’s factories with 5G tech. We have taken factory automation over a wireless network to the next level with 5G Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). Cutting the cables is the real game changer in enabling Industry 4.0 and with that, Ericsson and Audi successfully tested 5G URLLC capabilities with real-life industrial automation applications at an Ericsson lab last year. We also launched 5G car manufacturing in Germany with Vodafone and e.GO.

Elsewhere, Ericsson US’ 5G Smart Factory is part of a new wave of manufacturing plants that has the potential to add between $1.5-2.2 trillion to the global economy annually by 2023.

Here in Vietnam, we are also planning to invest in various smart city initiatives, partnering with other Swedish companies through ‘Business Sweden’ as well as our mobile operator customers.

Others global technology giants are gearing up their plans to expand in the local market. What makes Ericsson different from the rest?

Ericsson is a technology leader in 5G. Pioneering customers around the world have selected us as their 5G partner – today, we power 5G commercial live networks across five continents. We have close to 130 commercial 5G agreements or contracts with unique service providers, of which about 80 are live networks.

We have the right portfolio in place to enable customers to deploy 5G networks in all main frequency bands for global deployments and utilise their valuable spectrum assets in the fastest and most efficient way.

In total, we have shipped six million 5G-ready (hardware) radios to our customers since 2015, which gives us and our customers a unique advantage, including our mobile communication service provider customers in Vietnam. This is currently the most installed 5G-ready radios in the industry. This enables our customers to faster migrate to 5G and efficiently protects their past investments in 4G.

Ericsson has a portfolio that can adapt and scale to introduce the relevant capabilities that enterprises and industries require, from private networks designed to meet mission critical requirements to fast and secure wireless for Industry 4.0 use cases. Ericsson will continue to lead and play an active role in the development of ecosystems that work towards co-creating technological advancements and solutions that adds value to industry and society.

What are the latest preparations of Ericsson to further support Vietnam in the 5G rollout?

We are fully aligned with the recently released National Strategy for Industry 4.0, focusing on increasing the positive impact of the digital economy, industry digitalisation, smart city development, high-tech foreign investment, and elevated labour productivity growth rates and cybersecurity in this country.

5G mobile network capabilities will play a pivotal role in achieving this vision, supporting an accelerated adoption of Industry 4.0 across the nation. Vietnam has taken the right approach by aiming to initially deploy 5G in major urban areas and high growth industry zones, eventually bringing the benefits of digital transformation to key industries, such as manufacturing, transport, energy, healthcare, and agriculture.

People and enterprises are beginning to experience the benefits of a 5G for the first time and with it, we are moving technological boundaries forward to create the biggest innovation platform ever. We will see new consumer and enterprise/industry services, new use cases for the digitalisation of industries and new business opportunities across all economic sectors.

Ericsson recognises the need to lead the market in forging strategic 5G ecosystem partnerships that include cross-industry players, bringing them together with mobile service providers to deliver compelling digital transformation engagements and new revenue streams.

As a trusted long-term strategic partner in Vietnam’s ICT industry, we have been working with mobile communication service providers to ensure Vietnam is at the forefront of 5G developments in the region and globally, sharing our technical capabilities, market insights, and innovative thought leadership.