Investing in digital infrastructure, creating momentum to promote digital economy in Hai Duong

Bright digital economic "picture"

“In just a short time after using the digital application, our customer and partner files have increased by 60% compared to before, thereby significantly increasing revenue, especially business activities in the digital environment,” shared Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Head of Best Express Binh An Express Post Office (Hai Duong City).

Operating under a franchise model since 2021, in the early days, the post office's marketing staff had to use traditional marketing methods. "Although we have arranged 15 people to expand the market to 12 districts, towns and cities in the province, direct marketing is no longer effective. Many stores, production and business establishments have switched to online, so it is difficult to market face-to-face, which is both difficult and ineffective," said Mr. Tuan Anh.

Realizing that the growth plan cannot lack the “digital” factor, the above post office has invested in a high-speed fiber optic internet line to use 2 management applications at the same time. All customer data is synchronized with contact information as well as social network accounts, helping the above post office form many flexible marketing plans. Customer needs are then synchronized with the order management platform. Market share gradually expands, the post office's revenue in 2023 increases by 15% compared to the previous year.

In the field of design and management of digital content for enterprises, Bosu Joint Stock Company (Hai Duong City) has been operating almost entirely online. “In our field, it can be said that the period of traditional business and marketing is over. If we are not active in the digital environment, we will be left behind, even knocked out of the market. 99% of our customer files as well as our revenue come from the digital environment, through digital search platforms and market share management,” said Mr. Do Van Tung, General Director of Bosu Joint Stock Company.

Not only the above models, many other establishments and enterprises in Hai Duong have been thoroughly applying the benefits of doing business on digital platforms, from agriculture, business, delivery to digital content management, website design...

It can be said that all growth strategies and business plans have a "digital" element. According to data compiled by the Department of Information and Communications, in 2023, the proportion of the digital economy in the province's GRDP is estimated to reach 17.5%. The whole province currently has nearly 175,000 agricultural production households operating on many active e-commerce platforms, ranking 23rd out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, with nearly 1,200 products of the province being traded on e-commerce platforms; generating nearly 42,000 transactions on e-commerce platforms, ranking 7th nationwide.

Digital infrastructure must be adequate and universal.

The impressive figures on the digital economy mentioned above come from many causes, including the important role of the digital infrastructure platform. According to Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of VNPT Hai Duong Business Center, the basic digital infrastructure consists of 3 elements, including data infrastructure (data center, cloud computing platform...) for applications to operate; telecommunications infrastructure serving information transmission (fiber optic internet, 4G, 5G platform, Internet of Things...) and infrastructure for people and businesses (computers, smartphones...).

“Specifically, these are server systems, cloud computing, fixed broadband infrastructure, fiber optic cables, BTS stations, internet connection devices, etc. All to serve the purpose of maximizing the potential and benefits of digital platforms and applications to achieve digital transformation goals, including digital economic development,” said Mr. Khanh.

According to Tran Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of VNPT Hai Duong Business Center, infrastructure is the foundation for development. The foundation must be sufficient and must be universal. Simply put, it means that the infrastructure must ensure the capacity to meet 100% of the demand. As for VNPT Hai Duong, this network operator has prepared a large enough data center to serve the government, businesses and people in renting virtual server infrastructure on the cloud computing platform. The fiber optic transmission infrastructure, traditional mobile waves covering the province have the capacity to ensure the supply of 100% of the demand for fiber optic infrastructure to any organization or individual in need at any location in the province.

Continue to add new technologies such as xGSPON optical cable (advanced optical transmission standard developed to provide high-speed internet connection for individual users and businesses), 5G mobile to increase access speed, new applications to meet diverse needs to promote digital transformation according to the Government's direction.

Sharing the same view, Colonel Le Hong Phong, Deputy Director of Viettel Hai Duong Information Technology Solutions, said that digital infrastructure plays an important role, creating an environment for digital solutions and products to operate smoothly.

“For example, through mobile infrastructure, people using smartphones have access to the internet, promoting and developing online consumer behavior, stimulating online business and e-commerce. In addition, also from the mobile platform, a series of applications have been developed, notably online payment. Almost all traditional buying and selling processes in the past were done through a few swipes and touches. Those solutions and platforms complement each other, bringing benefits to people and businesses in changing production and business methods in the digital age,” Mr. Phong shared.

The highlight of Viettel Hai Duong's digital infrastructure development is the development of 5G infrastructure. By October 9, the network operator had installed 70 5G broadcasting stations across the province, mainly concentrated in Hai Duong City with 49 stations, Cam Giang with 13 stations, Kim Thanh with 4 stations, Thanh Mien with 2 stations, Chi Linh City with 1 station, and Tu Ky with 1 station. "With the direction from the Group, Viettel Hai Duong will continue to promote the development of 5G infrastructure, especially in industrial parks, contributing to the development of smart factories and industrial parks, attracting industrial investment," Mr. Phong added.

Not only the network operators, from January 1, 2024, the Hai Duong Provincial Data Center has officially operated. This is considered the "heart" of the province's digital transformation under the project "Building information technology infrastructure for e-government and smart cities" (DC project) managed and operated by the Department of Information and Communications. Information systems have been installed and exploited, used such as the province's official email system, Smart Hai Duong application for people, digital transformation index (DTI) scoring system at the department and district levels of the province...

Currently, the Provincial Data Center is performing well in its role in the province's data strategy and digital transformation. This is the address for deploying and installing software systems, storing shared data of the province, departments and branches, contributing to reducing equipment investment costs. In the coming time, the Provincial Data Center will prioritize integrating important applications and databases serving digital transformation as well as linking with the implementation of Project 06.

Developing digital infrastructure will open up new development space for socio-economic development, linking development in digital space with traditional physical development space, creating a favorable environment for innovation to enhance the province's competitiveness. However, developing digital infrastructure also needs to be associated with ensuring operational capacity under all conditions. The story of "losing network, no signal" after the recent storm No. 3 is an example.