Vietnamese telco Viettel announced on Wednesday it has commercially launched Open RAN 5G on its network using its in-house gNodeB solution developed in partnership with Qualcomm.
Viettel said the 5G Open RAN gNodeB – developed by Viettel’s R&D arm, Viettel High Tech – is now live in its network, with initial gNodeBs deployed in Hanoi and Ha Nam provinces, where it has been conducting validation tests for the past year. The telco also claims the deployment makes it the first Open RAN 5G network in the world to use Qualcomm’s 5G RAN platforms.
Viettel plans to deploy over 300 Open RAN sites by the first quarter of 2025, and intends to deploy thousands more as part of nationwide and international expansion plans from 2025 onwards.
The solution’s distributed units (DUs) utilize the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card use to offload compute-intensive baseband tasks like massive MIMO processing from DU servers. Viettel said this approach reduces capex by requiring fewer CPU cores and improving power efficiency.
Meanwhile, the radio units (RUs) – which utilize the Qualcomm QRU100 5G RAN platform – support O-RAN-compliant 32TR massive MIMO capabilities, which enhance network capacity, performance and energy efficiency.
For automation, management and orchestration, the solution combines Viettel’s element management system (EMS) with the Qualcomm Edgewise Suite to streamline management of heterogeneous networks spanning multiple vendors, cellular generations and architecture using a common platform. Viettel said this simplifies daily operations, reduces TCO and facilitates a smooth path to network modernization.
Viettel High Tech has produced a range of 5G equipment, from 5G gNodeB antennas, base stations and 100G site routers, to an automatic online charging system and even its own 5G DFE chipset.
Viettel High Tech CEO Nguyen Vu Ha said the commercialisation of its 5G Open RAN gNodeB completes its end-to-end 5G product suite, which it is offering to both public and private network customers. He also said the company’s collaboration with Qualcomm – which kicked off in May 2022 – will accelerate Viettel’s 5G deployments in Vietnam.
"I believe this collaboration will help both parties reduce the product development cycle by several years,” he said in a statement. “This collaboration also aims to deliver high-quality, cost-effective 5G solutions for international markets and to build a sustainable ecosystem.”
Viettel launched its standalone (SA) 5G service in 63 provinces and cities last month, six months after receiving its 5G spectrum licence for the 2500-2600 MHz band from the Ministry of Information and Communications. It also announced contracts with Ericsson and Nokia to expand its 5G network even further, as well as upgrade its 4G network.
