Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) will take proactivesteps to develop digital infrastructure, including the rollout of commercial 5Gmobile services, which are expected to contribute 7.34 percent to national GDPgrowth by 2025, Deputy Minister Phan Tam has said.

At the World Mobile Broadband & ICT Summit in Hanoi on March 25, Tamstressed that the experience of developed countries shows that 5G technologyand digital infrastructure have brought tremendous benefits to the community.

Particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have an importantrole in maintaining connectivity while helping ensure the sound operations ofeconomies, he added.

According to Tam, telecommunications infrastructure has been fundamental to thedigital economy, digital society, and digital Government.

Digital infrastructure includes broadband infrastructure, IoT, AI, Big Data,cyber security, digital identity, and digital payments, he said, adding that mobileand broadband infrastructure will contribute greatly to the nation’sdevelopment.

To this end, digital transformation, IT, and digital technology, among others,have been highlighted in the country’s socio-economic development strategy forthe 2021-2030 period and socio-economic development plan during 2021-2025.

Science-technology, innovation, and digital transformation are among thestrategic breakthroughs that will help Vietnam become an upper-middle-incomecountry by 2030 and a high-income industrial nation by 2045.

A report from Google, Temasek, and Bain showed that Vietnam’s digital economyreached 14 billion USD in 2020, a year-on-year rise of 16 percent, and willlikely reach 52 billion USD in 2025.

A significant number of users tried new digital services, with 41 percent ofall digital service consumers being new, making Vietnam the country with thehighest rate of internet users in the region.

The Vietnamese Government has viewed digital infrastructure as a pillar of thedigital economy. In the last two years, the development of broadbandinfrastructure has paved the way for other economic sectors to thrive.

By the end of February, Vietnam had more than 17.2 million fixed broadbandinternet subscribers, while the number of mobile broadband internet subscribersreached nearly 69.5 million.

However, the country needs more innovative ideas to take giant leaps forward tocement the National Digital Transformation Programme to 2025 and vision to2030.
Commenting on the development of Vietnam’s telecommunications market, Chairmanof the Radio and Electronics Association of Vietnam Tran Duc Lai said thatVietnamese operators have launched 5G services and attained positive results.

5G services will be piloted on a larger scale and even for Made-in-Vietnamdevices, he said.

Vietnam has paid special attention to applying the technology into high-techagriculture and industry, as well as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Lai added./.