Viettel on November 13 officially announced the commercial launch of its Open RAN (O-RAN) 5G Network, featuring key equipment developed in-house at the 5G Open RAN Connect conference held at the Viettel High Tech headquarters in Hanoi.
Telecom giants in Vietnam are taking applications and commercialising the 5G network, expected to generate more opportunities for businesses to accelerate digital transformation, toward developing a predominantly digital economy in the country, according to insiders.
The revenue of Vietnamese network operators reached more than 130 trillion VND (5.62 billion USD) in 2020, up 0.3 percent year-on-year, according to the statistics from Ministry of Information and Communication.
Vietnam has not fallen behind in launching a 5G network, having completed a technical pilot last year, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said while being grilled in the Q&A session at the 14th National Assembly (NA) on November 6.
Vietnam's 5G network is forecast to have a bright future with Government and regulator support while domestic manufacturing of 5G handsets could lower device costs and lend tailwinds to adoption.
A series of regulations governing 5G technology adoption and related frameworks are expected to be launched by March next year, says the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
The Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) announced on September 21 that it has started providing 5G service and put into operation the infrastructure of Internet of Things (IoT) in Ho Chi Minh City.
Viettel Group posted consolidated profit of 21.3 trillion VND (915 million USD) in the first half of the year, representing a 10.2 percent year-on-year increase and surpassing 24.7 percent of set targets.
The Military Industry-Telecoms Group Viettel and MobiFone will provide a pilot 5G network in Ho Chi Minh at 10 locations near Viettel's building in District 10, and at 12 locations of MobiFone in District 1 and 7.
The fifth generation (5G) of mobile communications is forecast to be a pillar of the digital economy and Vietnam has been busy making preparations to become one of the first countries to develop its 5G network.