Building digital infrastructure to firmly enter the digital era

Turn off 2G wave, upgrade 4G, expand 5G

Based on the analysis of market development trends, mobile technology, combined with state management objectives and the agreement with mobile businesses, on September 27, 2022, the Ministry of Information and Communications The communication has issued a dispatch on the orientation and implementation of the roadmap, the plan to stop 2G mobile technology. The goal is to complete the 2G shutdown by September 2024 at the latest.

In this roadmap, Vietnam has chosen to turn off 2G signal to promote the implementation of the goal of the National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with orientation to 2030 approved by the Prime Minister – that is, universalization. 4G, 5G mobile networks and smartphones to each Vietnamese citizen. This revolution will promote the digital government, digital economy, digital society… quickly, and is also an important driving force for Vietnam to enter the group of developed, powerful and prosperous countries.

According to the plan, Vietnam will commercialize the 5G network in 2023 with a part of domestically produced 5G equipment, thereby improving its autonomy and technology development, reducing dependence on suppliers. foreign equipment; contribute to ensuring national safety and security.

Cloud computing is the foundation of digital infrastructure

Besides network infrastructure, the most important component of Vietnam’s digital infrastructure is cloud computing, data center (Data Center). Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the Data Center will store and process Vietnamese data in Vietnam. But currently, among Vietnamese enterprises using cloud computing services, up to 80% of enterprises rent servers from abroad, located abroad.

Also according to Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, Big Data and big data processing will be a very big industry. If Vietnam wants to take the lead in digital transformation, it must be a digital center of the world. Vietnam must have an internationally ranked cloud computing infrastructure, have many international undersea cable lines built by Vietnam, have a dynamic and large-scale digital market, and have a convergence of global digital talents. Demand and digital human resources in the country are abundant.

“By 2025, the cloud computing market will be larger than the telecommunications market. Our investment in cloud computing is very disproportionate, less than one tenth of that of telecommunications. Vietnam data is a resource and property, it must be stored and processed in Vietnam; If you want to use it, you must get the permission of Vietnam. National digital sovereignty is closely related to Vietnam’s digital infrastructure. Without Vietnam’s digital infrastructure, there would be no digital sovereignty in Vietnam,” the minister said.

Sharing about the strategy of developing cloud infrastructure, Mr. Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and General Director of Viettel, said that Viettel Cloud is the first and largest cloud computing ecosystem, entirely made by Vietnamese people. owner, was officially put into operation. This is a very important piece in the synchronous and modern construction of the national digital infrastructure, contributing to the success of the country’s digital transformation.

Regarding the development of cloud infrastructure, Mr. Dang Tung Son, Deputy General Director of CMC Telecom said that CMC has seen this trend in Vietnam, so it has invested in this infrastructure early. Currently, enterprises such as CMC, Viettel, and VNPT are investing heavily in this infrastructure.

Promoting businesses to build digital infrastructure

In addition to telecommunications and cloud infrastructure, the growth of Vietnamese digital businesses, especially those building digital infrastructure, needs to be invested more strongly.

Sharing about digital infrastructure at a recent conference of VNPT Group, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Duc Long said that the concept of digital infrastructure has been expanded. Digital infrastructure is the foundational infrastructure for businesses to develop applications on. In the condition that traditional telecommunications services are on the decline, 5G is not a “magic wand” for change, but a tool for us to change the new development space for carriers. Digital infrastructure helps businesses (not just digital businesses) be modern and smart. VNPT has a mission to build digital infrastructure for industrial parks, support businesses to promote industrialization and modernization.

“The Prime Minister decided not to equitize VNPT. The reason is that state-owned enterprises must have a state mission. The government expects state-owned enterprises to implement the national strategy to develop digital infrastructure. The Party and Government highly appreciate the Information and Communication industry when introducing digital transformation as a way to shorten the road to industrialization and modernization of the country. State-owned enterprises will have a long-term strategy for developing digital infrastructure to become the core axis for industrialization and modernization of the country.Deputy Minister Pham Duc Long said.

The report at the Conference on implementing the 2023 plan of the Ministry of Information and Communications also pointed out that the Ministry is directing telecommunications businesses to convert telecommunications infrastructure into digital infrastructure. This is an important infrastructure of digital government, digital economy and digital society. The Ministry of Information and Communications emphasized that digital infrastructure with the core component is broadband telecommunications infrastructure to each household and individual, cloud computing infrastructure, digital identity and authentication platform… so that each person has a “digital identity” in cyberspace. Digital infrastructure must be invested first, in line with other countries in the world in the application of new technologies.

The Ministry of Information and Communications has set a target that by 2025, fiber optic broadband network infrastructure will cover 100% of communes and over 80% of households; 100% of mobile subscribers are broadband; the number of fixed broadband subscribers per 100 people reached over 30%; the rate of Internet users reached over 80%. The Ministry of Information and Communications also set a target that Vietnam’s digital businesses must account for 70% of the cloud market in Vietnam by 2025. With these strong moves, Vietnam may soon get a discount. powerful digital technology to meet the digital transformation, shorten the time to turn Vietnam into an industrialized and modernized country as the Government’s goal.

Nguyen Thai

(Posted in the Vietnam Post newspaper, issue of Xuan Quy Mao 2023)