On November 9, 2023, CMC Telecom and the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC) announced a strategic cooperation agreement to establish a presence point and connect to the National Internet Exchange Station (VNIX PoP) at the Tân Thuận Data Center (DC). As a result of this agreement, organizations can connect directly to the Vietnam National Internet exchange through CMC Telecom’s neutral DC in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the cooperation agreement, VNNIC will set up the VNIX PoP (Vietnam National Internet eXchange Point of Presence) at CMC Telecom’s neutral DC. The first PoP point selected by VNNIC is the CMC Data Center at Tân Thuận, Ho Chi Minh. Using the infrastructure provided by CMC Telecom, enterprises will be able to peer directly with VNIX without deploying independent physical transmission lines by creating a VNIX Point of Presence (PoP) at this DC and implementing remote peering solutions. Through the use of the infrastructure, CMC Telecom ensures service quality, optimizes costs, and ensures security. According to VNNIC and CMC Telecom, these connections will always be guaranteed with an availability of up to 99.99% and 24/7 technical support.
Representatives from VNNIC and CMC Telecom signed the strategic cooperation agreement to establish VNIX PoP at CMC Telecom’s Tan Thuan Data Center
As part of its strategy, VNNIC aims to develop and implement VNIX in line with international standards, to digitize the infrastructure, to connect digital platforms, and to promote the development of Vietnam’s digital ecosystem. This is why VNNIC is expanding and diversifying its service packages and establishing VNIX PoP points at leading Vietnam ISPs. And, CMC Telecom has been chosen as the first VNIX PoP by VNNIC.
This data center is newly opened and is considered the safest and most modern in Vietnam (with a capacity of 10MW, Tier 3 Uptime design certification, and upcoming operation certification according to the TVRA standard). CMC Telecom’s digital infrastructure fully meets the environmental conditions and physical connectivity requirements of VNIX, including a minimum 1+1 connection protection. It ensures scalability when traffic exceeds or reaches 75% of the transmission line capacity. Additionally, CMC Telecom has a team of available experts to implement connections and provide 24/7 customer support for service quality.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Thang, Director of VNNIC, shared about this partnership: “Developing VNIX in accordance with international models and standards is part of the development strategy for the 2021–2025 period of Vietnam Internet Center, which is approved by the Minister of Information and Communications. It is also a task in the ‘National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, orientation to 2030’ issued by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 749/QD-TTg dated June 3 /2020 with the orientation of developing digital infrastructure, expanding domestic Internet connections through direct peer-to-peer connections, connecting to Internet exchange stations (IXP), and developing VNIX in accordance with international models and standards.
To jointly accomplish this goal, we work with CMC Telecom, one of Vietnam’s leading providers of digital infrastructure with the biggest, most up-to-date, and safest data center ecosystem. Organizations, companies, and individuals with Internet addresses (IP) in Vietnam will be able to connect and exchange Internet traffic more easily, more cheaply, and with more quality and convenience.”
As a representative of CMC Telecom at the signing ceremony said, “CMC Telecom has set a strategic goal since 2018 to transform Vietnam’s digital infrastructure into a digital hub”. We have focused on building a professional, open, and neutral digital infrastructure for the region and the world to achieve this goal. To make progress quickly and on a larger scale, cooperation is necessary. Through collaboration between a long-term-oriented government agency and a financially capable business, a flexible mechanism can be established to respond to rapidly changing market demands. The cooperation agreement between CMC Telecom and VNNIC marks a new step towards developing a sustainable and modern digital infrastructure platform for both domestic and international businesses, bringing Vietnam closer to Digital Hub having “voice” in the region, in line with the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications.”
In addition, CMC Telecom and VNNIC representatives mentioned that some ASN and IP members in Vietnam who use CMC Telecom services at the Tan Thuan Data Center need to connect to VNIX at this new VNIX PoP.
VNIX is one of the essential infrastructure components of the Vietnamese Internet, playing a vital role in ensuring Internet security and driving the development of the Vietnamese Internet. Currently, the government’s “National Digital Transformation Program by 2025, with a vision to 2030” includes VNIX as a major component.
CMC Telecom is a member of the CMC Technology Corporation and is the sole telecommunications infrastructure company in Vietnam with foreign shareholders, including TIME dotCom Group, a top-2 telecommunications group in Malaysia. With a combined capacity of up to 3,000 racks, CMC Telecom owns a network of three data centers located in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The Cross Vietnam Cable System (CVCS) by CMC Telecom is the country’s first underwater cable to link directly to Asia’s telecom network. Additionally, it is linked to five international submarine fiber optic cables: Unity, AAE1, APG, A-Grid, and Faster.