Vietnam drives 5G commercialization to spur economic growth: PM

The Hanoi Times -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to accelerate the commercialization of 5G and intensify research into 6G technology, highlighting the need to develop telecommunications satellites, upgrade the national telecommunications backbone infrastructure, and enhance investment in high-speed fixed broadband networks.

The prime minister said it stands to reason that economic growth must be built on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and a skilled workforce to increase productivity. One of the major tasks is to foster new growth drivers and make breakthroughs in the development of science and technology.

Chinh requires a comprehensive and extensive national digital transformation in all sectors and fields, aiming to drive economic growth through science, technology, data, and innovation. He calls for deeper integration of the digital economy while ensuring robust cybersecurity and network safety.

Vietnam’s Digital Infrastructure Strategy to 2025, with a vision toward 2030, defines digital infrastructure as the backbone of the economy, including telecommunications infrastructure and the Internet. The strategy aims for nationwide 5G coverage by 2025, ensuring access in all provinces, cities, technology parks, R&D centers, innovation hubs, industrial zones, airports, and seaports.

Supporting rapid 5G rollout

5G deployment in Vietnam is gaining momentum and is on track to reach 90 million 5G subscriptions and cover more than 99% of the population by 2030, according to the "Accelerating 5G in Vietnam" report published by the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA).

To achieve this goal, domestic telecom operators are aggressively expanding 5G network coverage this year, a crucial step to enhance connectivity and support the development of the digital economy.

Meanwhile, the country successfully auctioned the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands for 5G in 2024, paving the way for nationwide commercial deployment of 5G.

To expand 5G coverage, telecom operators plan to use low-band frequencies, such as the 700 MHz band, which will be auctioned for mobile use and is expected to be completed by 2025, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Operators are also urged to increase the number of base stations.

Vietnam has introduced financial support policies for enterprises deploying 5G, as outlined in the National Assembly Resolution No. 193 issued in February 2025. Under the resolution, telecom companies that install at least 20,000 5G stations certified for operation between the effective date of the resolution and December 31 will receive a 15% subsidy on the equipment cost of each 5G station.

Viettel, the first carrier to launch a 5G network, was set to provide services in all 63 provinces, followed by VNPT in December 2024. By the end of January 2025, Viettel reported nearly 5.5 million users on its new-generation network. It aims to reach 10 million users this year. Meanwhile, VNPT also announced that three million subscribers are using its 5G services. MobiFone, the third 5G operator, has also secured 5G frequencies and plans to launch the service later this year.