The first 6G call using Vietnamese equipment could take place in 2029

In an announcement on July 20, Viettel High Tech said it became the first global partner to sign an early access program for the 6G platform with Qualcomm Technologies. Accordingly, the company will coordinate with Qualcomm to research, design, develop and produce 6th generation (6G) transceiver stations. Qualcomm provides the chipset technology platform, while the Vietnamese company undertakes research, design, development, integration, production, testing and product quality assessment.

The two coordinated to consider the interoperability between Qualcomm's 6G technology platform and products researched and developed by Viettel High Tech; At the same time, evaluate the quality and optimize product performance under actual exploitation conditions and scenarios.

"The two sides aim to make the first pre-commercial 6G call in early 2029 on systems and equipment researched, developed and manufactured by Viettel," the announcement read.

The 6G Platform Early Access Program is deployed by Qualcomm for selected strategic partners. As the first partner, Viettel High Tech said it can access the chipset platform and development tools before the widespread commercialization stage, thereby developing products in parallel with the process of Qualcomm perfecting the platform. This helps shorten the research time and bring 6G products to market soon when the chipset is commercialized, while the American chip company can also expand the partner ecosystem to develop 6G technology, verify and optimize the platform on real products.

Previously, the two sides also cooperated in research and production of 5G Open RAN equipment, which has now been widely deployed on the carrier's network. Mr. Durga Malladi, General Director of Qualcomm Technologies, assessed that Viettel's quick introduction of 5G Open RAN into commercial deployment creates a reference model for other carriers, a foundation for the two sides to jointly research and develop new technology, aiming to make Viettel one of the pioneers in deploying 6G technology in Asia.

At the previous meeting with Qualcomm, Mr. Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and General Director of Viettel, emphasized the goal of mastering technology, and Viettel's first pre-commercial 6G call will have to be made on systems and equipment researched, developed and produced by the corporation itself.

In March, Qualcomm initiated the Global Alliance for 6G network technology development, attracting three Vietnamese businesses to participate, including Viettel, FPT, and VNG. According to the alliance's orientation, the 6G network is shaped as an AI-native platform (designed with AI from the ground up, not adding AI as an extra feature), unifying three core technology pillars including connectivity, wide-area sensors and high-performance computing capacity.

Viettel said that due to the characteristics of 6G, the expected scope of cooperation is not limited to radio systems, cooperation can be expanded to the fields of high performance computing, data center servers, sensor technology, autonomous AI devices and new generation radio systems.

Luu Quy