Viettel picks Taiwan’s UfiSpace for massive 5G roll out

Vietnamese tech giant Viettel has selected Taiwanese 5G solutions supplier UfiSpace to jointly deploy disaggregated cell site gateways for Viettel’s massive 5G rollout in Vietnam.

Viettel High Technology Industries Corp. (VHT), a Viettel subsidiary, and UfiSpace announced their business cooperation plans on Wednesday in Taiwan for this deployment.

Disaggregated cell site gateways, also known as DCSG, is an open network cell site gateway device based on a disaggregated architecture for 2G/3G/4G/5G mobile infrastructures.

In this cooperation, VHT will develop its software called 100G Cell Site Router, while UfiSpace provides hardware and support. The collaboration focuses on perfecting performance synchronization for 5G services and development of Viettel’s Cell Site Router and Data Center Switch in the future, a joint announcement by the duo said.

The Cell Site Router is a device designed for application in the transmission infrastructure for 5G networks. VHT is the first unit to conduct such product research in Vietnam.

“This is a very proud milestone for the project team as well as for the journey to perfect the 5G ecosystem that Viettel has completely mastered 100% from research to production,” said the release from Taiwan.

UfiSpace will deliver its S9500 Series of DCSG and will handle increased data volumes from 5G Viettel services, with support for 4G and 3G networks.

Military-run Viettel has built a large 4G telecommunications infrastructure covering 97% of Vietnam’s population and has become a pioneer in 5G adoption in the country. Viettel’s 5G services are available in 16 cities and provinces in Vietnam to date.

The giant has developed full network elements including devices, radio access networks, transmission networks, and core networks that forms a strong foundation for a digital society. However, its massive 5G rollout timeline has not been publicized.

Viettel High Technology is the research and development arm of Viettel, and in charge of design, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of telecom solutions.

Viettel is Vietnam’s leading 5G network operator, followed by Vinaphone and MobiFone in second and third positions. There is no fourth player in the sector. As of the end of this June, the three networks’ 5G services had been made available in 40 cities and provinces across Vietnam, according to Ministry of Information and Communications data.