Vietnam is looking towards 5G, with four operators expected to receive licences for testing 5G services in January next year.
MobiFone and Vietnamobile along with state-owned Viettel Group and VNPT (Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group) are the companies tipped for the licences. Testing is expected to commence in the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Nguyen Manh Hung, Vietnam’s Minister of Information and Communications – and former chairman and director general of the Viettel Group - said: “Vietnam should be among the first nations to launch 5G services in order to move up in global telecom rankings.”
Hung is hopeful that Vietnam can become a leading exporter of 5G equipment, and so is looking to encourage domestic development. He has also stated that he intends to simplify Vietnamese IT sector’s current system for licensing and approvals.
Several of the operators have signed 5G cooperation agreements, with MobiFone partnering with Samsung earlier this year and VNPT forming an agreement with Nokia. Both of these firms are scheduled to be privatised by 2020, although Viettel will remain owned by the government.
