By Joseph Waring
Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) set an ambitious goal to significantly boost mobile broadband penetration and ensure every adult owns a smartphone, Vietnam News Agency reported.
Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Duc Long, speaking at the World Mobile Broadband and ICT Summit 2022 in Hanoi, reportedly said the government aimed to increased the number of mobile broadband subscribers from 57 per cent of total users in 2021 to 85 per cent by end-2022.
Considering mobile broadband penetration ros 4 percentage points year-on-year in 2021, hitting the 28-percentage point target would be an impressive achievement.
The country ended 2021 with 70.9 million broadband subscribers, MIC stated.
Data from GSMA Intelligence showed 78 per cent of mobile users had smartphones at end-2021. The country of 97 million people had 156 million mobile connections, including 42.9 million LTE.
Optus lights first 5G site in Tasmania
Australian operator Optus expanded its 5G service footprint to the state of Tasmania using the 1800MHz and 2100MHz spectrum bands, turning on the first of nine base stations in the city of Hobart.
Optus stated the remaining eight sites will be switched on by June, adding the dual-band set-up using Ericsson’s 4G and 5G integrated radio units allows it to introduce the wide coverage and high-capacity service in areas where 3.5GHz spectrum is unavailable.
The operator also said it introduced mmWave to the Australian state for the first time.
Optus VP of networks Lambo Kanagaratnam explained it started with Hobart but understands customers across the state are “eager to connect” and is looking at opportunities to deploy the technology more broadly.
Ericsson’s head of Global Customer Unit for Singtel (Optus’ parent company), Martin Wiktorin explained the implementation of FDD extends the coverage footprint over a wider area, allowing more customers to take advantage of the fast speeds and low-latency required for 5G use cases including cloud gaming and video streaming.
Optus launched a dual-band 5G network in Sydney in early 2020 on the 2300MHz and 3500MHz bands, and in May 2021 turned on its first sites using mmWave spectrum in three cities.
Meanwhile, Optus announced last week it turned on satellite small cell sites at Bark Hut Inn and Edith Falls in the Northern Territory as part of a government Mobile Black Spot Programme.
Under the initiative, some 998 base stations have gone live, including 22 in the Northern Territory.https://www.mobileworldlive.com
