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Laos’s Major Telecom Operators Gear Up for 5G Network

By
Laotian Times
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Lao Telecom 5G System

Laos is gearing up to roll out a 5G network, with the country’s two leading telecom operators, Lao Telecom and Unitel, testing or planning to test such technology prior to commencing operations.

5G is the new fifth-generation cellular network technology, which is said to offer speeds 100 times faster than 4G. It is primarily used for smartphones and other similar devices. 5G is also expected to support new applications like remote medical procedures and autonomous driving.

Lao Telecom

State-owned Lao Telecom announced on October 8 that it began trialing its 5G system, becoming the first player in Laos to do so.

“This test of 5G technology is a significant step for the company, as well as users, who are keen to upgrade and be on a par with international standards,” said the company’s Deputy General Director, Mr Souphon Chanthavixay, as quoted by Vientiane Times.

Lao Telecom is the first integrated telecommunications provider in Laos. Since 1996, the company has offered wire-line and wireless services to 3.5 million people across the country.

In 2011, the company officially launched 4G network, becoming the first company to provide the system in the country and the second nation to do so in Southeast Asia.

The company also began operating 4.5G services in Vientiane at the beginning of 2017 and then expanded services to the provinces.

Unitel

Vietnam’s Viettel has also announced that it will test its 5G broadcast in Laos in the fourth quarter through its Laos subsidiary, Unitel.

Unitel has been active in Laos for 13 years and is now the biggest network operator in the country with over 3 million subscribers, which accounts for 56 percent of the country’s telecom market, the company said in a statement on October 8.

Viettel tested its 5G network in Cambodia and Myanmar in July and August, respectively, through its local subsidiaries.

Government’s effort

The Lao government has beefed up its efforts to speed up the introduction of 5G technology, with a view that technology is an important tool to drive socio-economic development and integrate with regional and international standards.

The Department of Radio Frequency under the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, for instance, held discussions in May regarding frequency policy, network equipment and terminal equipment needs for the service.

At that time, Director General of the department, Mr Xayluxa Insisiengmay, said one of the key factors in determining whether Laos would develop a 5G network was market demand, and the ministry would be ready to support its provision if the market demands the service.

He added that the ministry was also considering the potential benefits of 5G for the education, health and agriculture sectors.

Several of ASEAN countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, have begun unofficial provision of 5G services in big cities. Thailand, for example, expects the full commercial operation of 5G services to begin next year, while Vietnam also plans to launch such service commercially next year.

BCEL, EV Laos to Launch Payment System for Electric Vehicle Charging

By
Laotian Times
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BCEL, EV Laos to Launch Payment System for Electric Vehicle Charging

Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public (BCEL) and EV Lao Company have teamed up to launch a smart card system for the payment of charging costs for electric vehicles.

The proposed smart card would link BCEL’s smart card system and EV Lao’s EVBox charging system, Vientiane Times reported.

BCEL began offering fee and bill payment services in 2009. Its services enable making payments electronically, through ATMs, BCEL One, I-Bank and other services provided by the bank.

BCEL is currently working with more than 50 entities to facilitate payments for goods and services as well as utility bills, taxes, customs duty, cable rental, fuel, loans, and border passes used to cross the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Vientiane.

Laos is currently pushing for a new electric vehicle project, joining its neighbors in Southeast Asia where the growth of the EV market is set to boom.

EV Lao teamed up with Electricite du Laos (EDL) for the project in August, which is designed to compare operating costs between electric vehicles and those running on fossil fuels, as well as safety measures, and to ascertain the quality of the vehicles.

The collaborators are to install test charging stations at EDL, EV Lao headquarters, and the Ministry of Energy and Mines. They hope to install 20 stations in Vientiane this year with a view to begin imports of electric vehicles next year.

Laos imports a large volume of fuel annually which has caused a huge trade deficit over the years, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Vientiane Times noted.

For instance, imports of gasoline increased from 187,755 kilograms in 2010 to 234,199 kilograms in 2015, according to Lao PDR Energy Statistics 2018 by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia.

During the same period, the consumption of gasoline also jumped from 187,755 kilograms 223,318 kilograms.

“Laos is promoting the use of clean energy in the transport sector as part of measures to translate the government’s policy into an action plan until 2025, and a strategy for 2030,” the paper said. “The proposed project on the use of EVs will help to lower fuel consumption.”

S Korea Criticized for Failing to Protect Children’s Rights over Laos Dam Collapse

By
Laotian Times
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S Korea Criticized for Failing to Protect Children’s Rights over Laos Dam Collapse

South Korea has been criticized for failing to protect children’s rights after a dam collapse in Laos caused dozens of deaths last year. The United Nations has advised the country to “closely look into” its overseas projects for possible violations of such rights.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child said on October 3 that South Korea should consider whether its companies or organizations infringe on the rights of local children if they go abroad for investment or international development cooperation projects, and set up a system to ensure that officials are properly responsible in the event of damage.

The UN statement came after a conference in Geneva last month where South Korea was called out for violating children’s rights with businesses and projects in developing countries. In particular, the participants cited palm oil farms in Indonesia run by South Korean firms as an example.

Some observers also said the collapse of the saddle dam in Laos was another example demonstrating a lack of measures by South Korea to protect and promote children’s rights in overseas projects.

A saddle dam at the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower project collapsed last year at a site which is a joint venture between South Korea’s SK Engineering & Construction and Korea Western Power. The incident killed dozens of residents and displaced thousands of others.

The project was also supported by the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, which is designed to promote economic cooperation between the South and developing countries. The fund is overseen by the government-backed Export-Import Bank of Korea.

Accordingly, the South Korean government was criticized for failing to conduct enough research on the project and a lack of preparation for adequate treatment measures.

“It is essential to require the Export-Import Bank of Korea to reveal information related to overseas projects to enable the substantial assessment and monitoring projects invested by the bank,” said Lee Ha-nee, a director at Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation, as quoted by Seoul-based daily Chosun Ilbo.

Chosun Ilbo also quoted lawyer Jeong Shin-young as saying that there is a channel to report the violation of children’s rights by South Korean firms overseas, which is operated by South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, but it is open without any business with needs for further promotion.

Chinese Cement Plant Explosion in Northern Laos Kills One, Injures 20

By
Laotian Times
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Chinese Cement Plant Explosion in Northern Laos Kills One, Injures 20

An explosion at a Chinese-owned cement plant Luang Prabang Province last Saturday has caused one death and multiple injuries.

At least 20 residents of Phonemany Village, Nambak District, have been injured, while houses and vehicles were destroyed in the powerful blast.

More explosives than usual were apparently used in Saturday’s blast, causing a much larger explosion than expected.

Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor

Mr. Khamvone Keolounan, Vice Governor of Nambak District, said in an interview with the Lao Post that prior to blasting, district authorities would inspect the site, ensuring that proper preparations had been made. He said that explosions caused by the blasting had never been this powerful in the past, and debris had never reached the homes of surrounding villages.

A massive piece of debris from the explosion falls on a nearby home
A massive piece of debris from the explosion falls on a nearby home

During Saturday’s blast, explosives had been mounted on the side of a cliff, which may have caused debris to fly in a different direction than usual, added Mr. Khamvone.

An investigation into the incident is still ongoing, and officials will put stricter measures in place for future blasting operations.

A video of the incident can be seen below, as aired on Lao Star channel:

Lao-French Bilingual Classrooms to Receive Training, Equipment

By
Laotian Times
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Lao-French Bilingual Classrooms to Receive Training, Equipment

A signing ceremony was held on Friday at the Ministry of Education and Sports to officially launch the project supported by the French Embassy to upgrade the teaching of mathematics and science in Lao-French bilingual classes in line with the government’s education plan to improve education quality.

The MOU, signed by Ms. Sisouk Vongvichith, Director General of the General Education Departement of the Ministry of Education and Sports and Mr. Patrick Cohen, Head of Cooperation at the French Embassy to the Lao PDR, aims to provide new teaching-learning material in science subjects (textbooks, equipment, internet connection) and give professional development sessions and additional teacher training to in-service teachers.

This new project will not only give a fresh start to the students and new resources to the in-service teachers of secondary education, it will also benefit to the new batch of 28 students who have just entered the NUOL’s faculty of education to become tomorrow’s bilingual mathematics and science teachers.

In her speech, Ms. Sisouk declared that this project is a great asset for the French-Lao bilingual classes as it aims to further enhance the teaching practices and improve the learning outcomes of students.

The more than twenty-years-old Lao-French bilingual section has now grown significantly to reach a nationwide coverage with 13 public schools in Vientiane, Savannakhet, Pakse and Luang Prabang. Today, 3,000 students, aged 8 to 18, benefit from enhancing teaching of French language and the teaching of science subjects (mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology) in French.

Mr Patrick, Head of French cooperation, added that the already successful bilingual programme within the state education system of the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports will undoubtedly become even more attractive for students, parents and teachers.

He mentioned on this occasion that the call for 2020 scholarships to France will start next January.

All information related to applications will be available online on the Facebook Page of Campus France Laos.

Laos’s KiwiPay to Launch Cashless Visa Payment Service in Africa

By
Laotian Times
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Laos’s KiwiPay to Launch Cashless Visa Payment Service in Africa

KiwiPay, a Laos-based payment solution provider, is set to launch its cashless visa payment system in up to seven African countries, in a move to tap into a growing number of Chinese visitors to Africa.

KiwiPay is currently providing its cashless visa payment solutions to Vientiane’s Wattay International airport for Chinese tourists using Alipay’s facial recognition feature, Techmoran reported.

“The solution has proven the ability to speed up and ease the visa process for tourists. We are now testing the solutions with governments in several other frontier markets in South-East Asia and up to seven countries in Africa,” said Gregory Schmidt, CEO & Founder of Kiwi Group.

More than 900,000 Chinese citizens visited Laos last year, and the government is targeting more than 1.2 million Chinese tourists in 2019.

Over the past few months, Kiwi Group has signed several partnership agreements with local banks and government organizations to provide a cashless solution for visa processing at Laos’s border checkpoints.

In August the company teamed up with Lao Development Bank (LDB) to roll out the Chinese mobile payment platform Alipay, which will allow users to make payments and transactions at stores and restaurants in Laos that are partnered with LDB.

Apart from Alipay, the company provides other foreign services in Laos, such as Alipay, SamsungPay, ApplePay, WeChatPay and more.

KiwiPay, which was established in 2016, is currently processing more than USD 200 million worth of transactions yearly based on a commission fee business model, according to Techmoran.

Lao Citizen Arrested for Smuggling Heroin to Vietnam

By
Laotian Times
-
Lao Citizen Arrested for Smuggling Heroin to Vietnam

Two people, including one Lao citizen, have been arrested in Houaphan Province for smuggling heroin from Laos to Vietnam.

Vietnamese police arrested Lo Van Dung, a Vietnamese national, last Friday in the Vietnam-Laos border province for transporting 9.9 kilograms of heroin from the Lao province to the central Vietnam province of Thanh Hoa, VnExpress reported.

As a part of the investigation, the police also tracked down a Lao citizen Thao Dia Tho the next day possessing 660 grams of heroin.

The Lao authorities will handle the seized drugs.

“Vietnam is a key trafficking hub for drugs from the Golden Triangle, an intersection of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, which is the world’s second-largest drug-producing area after the Golden Crescent in South Asia,” VnExpress explained.

Laos has beefed up its efforts to tackle illegal drug trade in recent years.

In June 2017, marking the 30th anniversary of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith stressed that the illegal activities must be suppressed and outlined several measures to tackle the issue.

In particular, the PM explicitly informed all party committees and authorities at all levels and sectors to consider drug prevention, control and solution efforts as their obligation and duty.

Laos Becomes Party to UN Trade, Nuclear Treaties

By
Laotian Times
-
Laos Becomes Party to UN Trade, Nuclear Treaties

Laos has become a party to two more United Nations treaties, namely the United Nations Convention on Contracts for International Sales of Goods (CISG) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

The term “party” refers to a state that gives its explicit consent to be bound by the treaty. A party is legally bound by the provisions within the treaty and generally accepts all the treaty’s obligations, subject to legitimate reservations, understandings, and declarations.

CISG

The Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay Kommasith on September 26 presented the letter from the government to the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares, confirming Laos’ membership of CISG, Vientiane Time reported. 

CISG is a treaty that codifies uniform international sales law. One of the main advantages of the convention is that it minimizes the risk of unfair treatment at the hands of trading partners because all treaty members must use the same international legal standards. 

It has been ratified by 92 states, which account for a significant proportion of world trade, making it one of the most successful international uniform laws. Laos was the most recent state to adopt the convention.

TPNW

In addition, Mr Saleumxay presented Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares with the government’s ratification of TPNW, Vientiane Times added.

TPNW, or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to prohibit nuclear weapons comprehensively. The main goal of the treaty is to ban member states from developing, trialling, processing, collecting and accommodating nuclear weapons.

In order to come into effect, signature and ratification by at least 50 countries are required. So far, 79 countries have signed the treaty, and 32 countries have ratified it.

“The Lao government’s decision demonstrates its commitment to free the world from nuclear weapons as well as support the international community to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons, which pose a serious threat to all mankind,” Vientiane Times noted.

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