Vietnam needs at least two or three more submarine fiber cable routes in the next five years to serve mounting demand, according to Vietnam Internet Association (VIA) Secretary General Vu The Binh.
AAG, APG, AAE-1, and IA are the four out of five undersea fiber cable routes that Vietnamese mobile network carriers use. Their interruptions have a negative impact on Vietnam’s ability to connect to the rest of the world. Most recently, IA faced problems on January 28.
According to Binh, only 2-3 mobile network operators use IA, so the incident mostly affects these operators.
In fact, this might affect other operators as well, as traffic will be redirected to other routes if IA flow to Singapore is interrupted, which could slow down or snarl up global internet access.
The majority of the global internet’s capacity is used to support households, individuals, and businesses that use mobile internet. The slowdown can be seen most clearly in mobile broadband and household subscribers. And businesses also have unusual experiences.
In these circumstances, mobile network operators must use land channels to make up for the lost capacity. However, due to China’s Lunar New Year celebrations, this cannot be put into practice right away. During the holiday, the majority of networks were frozen, which had an impact on how Vietnam’s network providers responded.
One infrequent occurrence is the disruption of almost all cable routes. Although mobile network operators should in theory consider every eventuality, it’s likely that they haven’t thought of this one. Due to equipment constraints, land cable routes may not be improved quickly.
In comparison to other countries in the region, Vietnam has fewer international connections, raising the question of how many additional cable routes Vietnam needs.
According to Viettel and VNPT (Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group) announcements, a cable route will also be used in 2023 to arrive in Quy Nhon city in the province of Binh Dinh. The capacity of the routes will increase if they run smoothly.
VIA believes that Vietnam will require an additional 2–3 cable routes during the course of the next 5 years. Vietnam will require more if it aspires to serve as a regional transit hub.
Demand for new undersea cable routes is increasing as mishaps on existing routes occur more frequently.
Additionally, it is essential to consider creating more land routes, particularly through the west and southwest, which not only strives to meet internet users’ expectations but also provides efficient connection between Vietnam and the rest of the world.
