Viettel High Tech says it has successfully deployed and validated its 5G Open RAN gNodeB, co-developed with Qualcomm, on Viettel’s live network in Hanoi.
Viettel High Tech, the R&D arm of Vietnamese telco Viettel, says its 5G Open RAN equipment is the first to use Qualcomm’s X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card and QRU100 5G RAN Platform on a live network with real users and data traffic. The two companies have been working on the 5G Open RAN gNodeB since the initial design was revealed at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in March. Viettel and Qualcomm announced plans in Mayannounced plans in May to collaborate on developing next-gen technology to fast track development and rollout of 5G in Vietnam and globally.
The 32T32R 5G Open RAN gNodeB was installed in Viettel’s network cluster in Hai Ba Trung District in Hanoi. Viettel High Tech says it chose that site, which has been operational since 2021, because the area sports a dense urban high-traffic population with a high concentration of mobile users – between 300-400 subscribers in a cell. That environment allowed Viettel and Qualcomm to put the 5G gNodeB through its paces and facilitate product optimization.
According to Viettel, the 5G gNodeB achieved downstream data speeds of up to 850 Mbps in real-network scenarios. Viettel says those results make it competitive with other vendors. With the equipment validation completed, Viettel plans to introduce these products across their eleven international markets and extend to other global operators.
“To enhance competitiveness and establish Viettel as a reputable global provider, we must continually improve our products and focus on key factors: high performance, Open RAN compliance, low power consumption, virtualization, and cloud-native design,” said Viettel High Tech CEO Nguyen Vu Ha in a statement. “The collaboration between Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies aims to address these critical factors, enabling our products to meet the requirements for mass commercialization in Vietnam and global markets.”
Viettel High Tech has produced a range of 5G gear, including 5G gNodeB antennas and base stations, 100G site routers, and an automatic online charging system (OCS). Earlier this month, Viettel High Tech revealed that it had developed its own 5G DFE chipset, which it said would finally give it “complete control” over its domestic 5G equipment ecosystem.