Viettel launches first commercial 5G services in Vietnam

　　Viettel launched its 5G standalone (SA) network on Tuesday, becoming the first mobile operator to offer commercial 5G services in Vietnam.

　　Viettel said its 5G services are ten times faster than on the 4G network, with Internet speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s.

　　The company currently offers 5G service packages to postpaid customers ranging from 200,000 Vietnamese dong (US$8.00) per month with a daily data limit of 6GB to VND2 million ($80.18) per month with a daily data limit of 50GB. Prepaid customers can choose from 5G offerings ranging from VND135,000 ($5.41) per month with a daily data limit of 4GB to VND210,000 ($8.45) per month with a daily data limit of 6GB.

　　Viettel also offers a QoS package that gives customers the flexibility to prioritize high speed and low latency according to their needs.

　　The mobile operator is offering 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services for residential customers, as well as private 5G services for industrial parks and factories that require high security, low latency and a large number of connections.

　　Initial 5G deployment completed in August

　　Viettel, which has been testing 5G since 2019, said it completed the initial rollout of its 5G SA network in August this year, with 5G coverage points in 63 provinces and cities. Last month, it announced deals with Ericsson and Nokia to further expand its 5G network and upgrade its 4G network.

　　The launch of its 5G services, which coincided with the operator's 20th anniversary this month, came seven months after Viettel received its 5G license from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) after winning the first round of the auction for the 2,500-2,600MHz frequency band.

　　Meanwhile, Viettel said it is now working with smartphone manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo to ensure device support for its new 5G services. In previous reports by local news outlets, Viettel acknowledged the lack of 5G-compatible devices in Vietnam, estimating that only 17% to 20% of mobile devices support 5G connectivity.

　　The Vietnamese government is determined to see commercial 5G services take off in the country. The MIC has set a target of providing 5G coverage to 99% of the population by 2025, at a minimum 100Mbit/s data speed.

　　As part of this 5G push, the MIC has mandated that 2G networks must be shut down by September 2026. Telco operators have stopped adding new 2G customers last month. They will have to migrate these customers, which number around 15 million as of September 2023, to their 4G or 5G networks within the next two years.