Lao Telecommunications Pcl (Lao Telecom) has officially launched its 5G network, the first of its kind for Laos.

The ceremony commemorating the launch was held on Monday in the Lao capital of Vientiane and was attended by Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Dr Thansamay Kommasith, Lao Telecom director-general Souphon Chanthavixay and senior officials from line ministries and the company.

The 5G system is to implement the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policy as well as the strategic work of the telecoms ministry to modernise services and enable the integration of the region with the international framework, especially the Digital Economy Era 4.0.

In the current era, the use of telecommunications tools and services has become an important factor in the lives of many people, especially in Laos, Lao Telecom said.

Many countries around the world are now experimenting with 5G technology to serve the society such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IOT), robotics in the field of industry, agriculture and medicine, it said.

All of this is to create favourable conditions for society or consumers to follow a lifestyle which is convenient, fast and has high security, it added.

Prior to this, Lao Telecom launched the first test of its 5G system in October to prepare for the official launch of the service.

For the event, a number of demonstrations were prepared by the team to show the potential of modern 5G and the speed of data transmission.

For the initial 5G service area, Lao Telecom will first provide services in some areas of Vientiane, such as in community areas of the city centre like Sihom village, the night street market along the Mekong River, Sailom village and the National University of Laos (Dongdok Campus).

The second phase will then be extended to major provinces around the country. 5G technology is smarter, faster and more efficient than 4G and responds to the demands of users better.

Lao Telecom is a joint venture between the Lao government (51 per cent) and Singapore-based Shenington Investments Pte Ltd (49 per cent), which is a subsidiary of Bangkok-based satellite operator and satellite communications provider Thaicom Pcl. Lao Telecom is jointly managed by Thaicom.

As the first integrated telecommunications provider in Laos since 1996, the company has offered wireline and wireless services to 3.5 million people across the country.

In 2011, the company officially launched 4G services. It was the first company to provide such services, making Laos the second country in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN bloc to do so, after Singapore.

To affirm its telecommunications leadership in the country, the company began operating 4.5G services in Vientiane, at the beginning of 2017 and then expanded services to the provinces and covered many areas of Laos.

VIENTIANE TIMES/ASIA NEWS NETWORK