The amended Telecommunications Law will boost the development of digital infrastructure for Vietnam.

5g viettel 508.jpg — Telecommunications infrastructure, which was originally traditional communication infrastructure, has transformed into a new type of infrastructure: digital infrastructure – the infrastructure of the digital economy.

On the morning of November 24th, with 468 out of 472 delegates voting in favor, the National Assembly officially passed the amended Telecommunications Law. The law consists of 10 chapters and 73 articles.

In response to VietNamNet , a representative from the Telecommunications Department stated that the Telecommunications Law was researched and revised based on international experience, practical realities, and trends in Vietnam.

Specifically, the amended Telecommunications Law has studied and learned from the experiences of advanced countries that have recently amended and adjusted their legal frameworks on telecommunications, such as European countries, the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, and ASEAN countries like Malaysia and Singapore… to promptly supplement regulations on the management of data center services, cloud computing services, and basic telecommunications services on the Internet, in line with the development trends of the telecommunications sector and the convergence trend between telecommunications and information technology.

According to a representative from the Telecommunications Department, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital technology , and digital transformation have taken place at an unprecedented pace over the past 10 years, having a significant impact on the telecommunications sector.

Telecommunications infrastructure, which was originally traditional communication infrastructure, has transformed into a new type of infrastructure: digital infrastructure – the infrastructure of the digital economy.

Digital infrastructure includes broadband and universal telecommunications infrastructure, IoT infrastructure, data center and cloud computing infrastructure, and digital technology infrastructure such as infrastructure-based services and platforms.

Digital infrastructure plays a far more important role than traditional communication infrastructure; it must ensure broadband and ultra-broadband, be universal, sustainable, green, smart, and secure. Developing digital infrastructure will become increasingly costly and requires integration and shared use with other infrastructures.

In the trend of digital transformation, data has become the most important resource of the digital economy, a new input for production, so many countries place great importance on data center infrastructure and cloud computing, and have introduced policies and regulations to manage it.

Data centers and cloud computing will become the most important components of digital infrastructure, requiring appropriate policies to ensure sustainable development.

Representatives from the Telecommunications Department stated that the convergence of telecommunications, information technology, and more recently, digital technology, is blurring the lines between these two fields, creating new demands for institutional development and improvement.

“Previously, providing telecommunications services required a telecommunications network infrastructure. Managing the network infrastructure business also meant managing the telecommunications services themselves. But today, telecommunications services (including basic telecommunications services over the Internet) and cross-border telecommunications services can be provided on the Internet. This poses a challenge in managing telecommunications services over the Internet and cross-border telecommunications services while ensuring equitable management of all telecommunications services and addressing safety and security issues,” a representative from the Telecommunications Department stated.

Sharing further insights into the practices in Vietnam, the Telecommunications Department stated that from 2010 to the present, Vietnam has participated in numerous free trade agreements, particularly new-generation free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans- Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement, with new and higher commitments compared to Vietnam's commitments upon joining the World Trade Organization.

The general legal environment has also undergone many changes. Since 2010, Vietnam has continued to improve its institutions, including the Law on Enterprises, the Law on Investment, the Law on Competition, the Law on Planning, the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets, the Law on Auction of Assets, and the Law on Prices... all of which have been newly enacted, amended, or supplemented with content related to the telecommunications sector.

Therefore, the Telecommunications Law needs to be reviewed and amended to ensure the consistency and uniformity of the legal system, avoiding conflicts with other existing or currently amended laws.

The revised Telecommunications Law has been developed based on international experience, development trends, and practical requirements of the Vietnamese telecommunications industry, addressing institutional obstacles and inadequacies in the provisions of the 2009 Telecommunications Law and related legal regulations that hindered development.

Furthermore, the amended Telecommunications Law will be consistent with the legal system and in line with international commitments to which Vietnam is a signatory; contributing to simplifying administrative procedures, guiding the development of universal broadband telecommunications infrastructure, data centers, and cloud computing in a sustainable and modern direction; forming a digital infrastructure that meets the requirements of digital economic and social development, contributing to ensuring national defense and security, and improving the quality of life for the people.

Representatives from the Department of Telecommunications also emphasized that the amended Telecommunications Law will create an important foundation for realizing the telecommunications development goals outlined in the Party's resolutions and improve Vietnam's ranking in the global telecommunications development index.

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