Nokia to produce 5G equipment in northern Vietnam

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn starting next month will begin producing Nokia’s AirScale products, which were launched last year, Nokia said in a statement Tuesday.

AirScale equipment are said to provide extended 5G coverage with high efficiency.

Production is set to be scaled up to increase volume starting September.

Part of the products will be sold in Vietnam, where Nokia has already partnered with local companies in developing 5G technology.

Local manufacturing will enable Vietnamese service providers to fast-track 5G rollouts, the company said.

Nokia Global CEO Pekka Lundmark, during his visit to Vietnam in March, said that this company supports the government’s policy on producing equipment locally.

Many of Nokia's network equipment products have been made in Vietnam.

Vietnam is expected to commercialize 5G this year. Two state-owned telecom firms Viettel and VNPT have won bids for 5G frequency licenses.

Another frequency will be auctioned in June.

Regulations require a winning bidder to deploy 5G services within 12 months of receiving licenses and to have at least 3,000 5G stations after two years.