5G and its important role in promoting national digital transformation

In Resolution 57 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, 5G technology is mentioned as an important factor in developing digital infrastructure and promoting national digital transformation.

Resolution 57 aims to achieve nationwide 5G coverage by 2030. This is considered a major policy for the telecommunications industry and businesses on the development journey.

5G race between carriers

On March 26, MobiFone Telecommunications Corporation announced a commercial 5G service package, the first phase focusing on the centers of major provinces and cities.

This network operator said that in the coming time, it will continue to expand its coverage area, aiming to cover 5G to every commune nationwide.

To date, all three largest network operators in Vietnam have successfully commercialized 5G (Photo: VNPT).

The above event not only marks an important development step for MobiFone network alone, but is also considered a turning point for the entire Vietnamese telecommunications industry because all three major networks have successfully commercialized 5G.

Previously, in mid-October 2024, Viettel became the first network operator to commercialize 5G with more than 6,500 broadcasting stations, ensuring outdoor coverage of over 90% of the capital areas of 63 provinces and cities, industrial parks, schools, airports, seaports, etc.

"The unit has plans to expand coverage in 2025 to meet the increasing needs of users while continuing to research and launch a number of additional features and products in the 5G ecosystem such as: AR/VR, MeCall, SmartCall, YouTube Premium...

In 2025, the 5G network will be expanded to district centers and densely populated areas to serve the people. Along with expanding coverage, we are committed to bringing many new services connected on the 5G platform, promoting a more modern and convenient digital life," said a representative of Viettel Telecom.

VNPT Group also officially announced the provision of VinaPhone 5G service in December 2024. VinaPhone 5G uses 5G technology according to the world's latest standard 64T64R Massive MIMO & Beamforming; advanced chipset (5nm); architectural platform combining 5G NSA and 5G SA, aiming at 5G Advanced.

At the time of official service provision, VinaPhone 5G covers 63 provinces and cities nationwide, focusing on coverage and service provision in key socio-economic areas. VinaPhone 5G also aims to continue to expand coverage in 2025 and soon cover 85% of the population in the near future.

Since the 5G network was commercialized, mobile Internet speed in Vietnam has grown strongly (Photo: Viettel).

As of February, Viettel had about 5.5 million 5G subscribers, while Vinaphone also reached about 3 million subscribers. Since the 5G network was commercialized, mobile Internet speed in Vietnam has grown strongly, among the highest globally.

According to statistics from the Internet access speed measurement system in Vietnam (i-Speed) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, as of February, the 5G network speed in Vietnam reached 187.58 Mbps for download and 34.87 Mbps for upload.

Statistics also show that Da Nang is currently the locality with the highest 5G speed at 324.05 Mbps. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have speeds of about 144-158 Mbps.

5G development contributes to promoting national digital transformation

In recent times, Vietnam has implemented many solutions to promote the development of 5G. The deployment of 5G mobile networks plays a key role, creating a solid infrastructure foundation to realize digital transformation goals in all areas of life, economy and society.

Recently, Vietnam has implemented many solutions to promote the development of 5G (Photo: Trung Nam).

One of the important goals set in Resolution 57 is to cover 5G nationwide by 2030. This is not only a goal for telecommunications infrastructure, but also demonstrates a strong commitment to creating a superior connectivity environment, meeting the growing demand for bandwidth and data transmission speed in the digital age.

To achieve this goal, the Resolution emphasizes the focus on investment and synchronous development of telecommunications infrastructure, of which 5G is a top priority. State resources play a major role in developing this modern digital infrastructure, while encouraging the participation of domestic and foreign enterprises.

Most recently, Resolution 193 of the National Assembly also mentioned financial support for businesses to quickly deploy 5G. Telecommunications infrastructure is considered an important component of digital infrastructure, the foundational infrastructure for the development of the digital economy and digital society, and is prioritized by the State for development and protection, such as transportation infrastructure and energy infrastructure.

Therefore, digital infrastructure in general and telecommunications infrastructure in particular need to develop quickly and be invested in advance. Resolution 193 allows support for network operators to invest in 5G to quickly cover the whole country.

Normally, each network operator only invests about 5,000 5G stations per year. If each network operator wants to invest up to 20,000 stations per year for fast coverage, it needs support from the State. The support level approved by the National Assembly is 15%, not exceeding the amount of money that the network operators have spent to buy 5G frequencies.

The development of 5G infrastructure promises to have a profound impact on Vietnam's digital economy. With super-fast data transmission speeds, extremely low latency and the ability to connect a large number of devices, 5G will be a solid foundation for the explosion of new digital applications and services, from e-commerce, e-payment to innovative business models based on big data and artificial intelligence.

The development of 5G infrastructure promises to have far-reaching impacts on Vietnam's digital economy (Photo: SCMP).

It is estimated that the scale of Vietnam's digital economy will reach at least 30% of GDP by 2030 and 50% of GDP by 2045. At this time, 5G infrastructure will act as a blood vessel, ensuring the smooth flow of data and digital transactions.

It can be said that the development of 5G network is not only a step forward in telecommunications technology, but also a key and decisive factor in promoting the national digital transformation process according to the orientation of Resolution 57.

With superior connectivity, 5G will create a solid infrastructure for the development of the digital economy, opening up new opportunities for the application of advanced technologies such as IoT, AI and Big Data.

Successfully achieving the goal of nationwide 5G coverage by 2030 will be an important step, bringing Vietnam closer to its goal of becoming a powerful and prosperous digital nation in the new era.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/5g-va-vai-tro-quan-trong-trong-viec-thuc-day-chuyen-doi-so-quoc-gia-20250326222159765.htm