On February 19, the National Assembly voted to pass a Resolution on piloting a number of special policies and mechanisms to create breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

The special feature of this Resolution is that the state budget will be used to support businesses in quickly deploying 5G network infrastructure nationwide.

Accordingly, telecommunications enterprises that rapidly deploy 5G network infrastructure must have at least 20,000 5G transmission stations accepted and put into use from the effective date of this Resolution to December 31, 2025. The total amount of support for telecommunications enterprises under this regulation shall not exceed the total winning bid amount of radio frequency use rights auctions conducted in 2024. The support level for a 5G transmission station is 15% of the average equipment cost for a 5G transmission station purchased in 2025 by supported telecommunications enterprises.

This Resolution also sets out a policy for developing international submarine telecommunication cables with Vietnamese telecommunication enterprises as investors or contributing capital. Accordingly, investment projects for international submarine telecommunication cables with landing stations in Vietnam shall apply the procedures prescribed for investment projects in Vietnam in accordance with the provisions of the law on investment and must meet the requirements for ensuring national defense and security.

The Resolution allows the investment policy approval authority to decide on the use of the form of designated bidding to implement bidding packages of the above investment project for implementation in the 2025-2030 period, to promptly meet the requirements of telecommunications infrastructure development of enterprises.

In case of not using the form of designated bidding, the selection of contractors to implement the investment project is carried out according to international practices agreed upon or signed by the parties between the Vietnamese telecommunications enterprise and the foreign organization that is a member contributing capital to invest in the construction of the international submarine optical cable line.

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According to Ms. Rita Mokbel, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ericsson Vietnam, 5G will play an important role in Vietnam's promotion of digital infrastructure. Photo: MB

Speaking to associations, clubs, and ICT businesses on February 19, 2025, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that we need a nationwide telecommunications network to cover the whole country quickly, but businesses are cautiously developing only about 5,000 stations each year. Therefore, if they want to develop 20,000 5G stations to cover the whole country, the government will support them, this is a very special policy. For the first time, the government will support businesses up to 15% of the total investment value in 5G if that network operator builds at least 20,000 5G stations in 2025.

Continuing to share about the policy of developing international submarine telecommunication cable lines with Vietnamese telecommunication enterprises contributing capital or being investors, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said that Vietnam's submarine optical cables are currently limited, with some directions being relatively risky. Now Vietnamese enterprises are starting to invest, looking for new directions and routes to ensure the safety and sustainability of the telecommunication network. The new resolution passed by the National Assembly has a policy to develop international submarine telecommunication cable lines with Vietnamese telecommunication enterprises contributing capital or being investors.

According to Ms. Rita Mokbel, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ericsson Vietnam, 5G will play an important role in Vietnam's digital infrastructure development. 5G has the potential to become a key transformation factor in many industries, enabling automation, improving productivity and optimizing resource management. Industries such as manufacturing, logistics and smart cities will benefit the most. In particular, private 5G network infrastructure will enable businesses to innovate and reduce costs, while bringing new revenue opportunities to telecommunications operators.

"5G will be an important tool for Vietnam to achieve its goal of building a digital economy, which is expected to contribute 20% of the country's GDP by 2025," said Rita Mokbel.

According to Viettel's announcement, this network currently has more than 6,500 5G BTS stations, covering 100% of the capitals of 63/63 provinces, cities, industrial parks, tourist areas, seaports, airports, hospitals, universities. Viettel's 5G network can reach speeds of 700Mbps-1Gb, 10 times faster than 4G and has a low latency of almost 0. Viettel's 5G NSA network has a speed 20 times faster than traditional 4G, helping to provide services that require instant response such as self-driving cars, remote surgery, remote control in smart factories, virtual reality classrooms, etc.

According to Viettel's announcement, by the end of January 2025, Viettel's 5G subscribers had reached 5.5 million users just 5 months after its launch, getting closer to the target of 10 million 5G subscribers by 2025. This shows that the appeal and potential of 5G in Vietnam is huge.

Along with Viettel, VNPT also announced coverage to all central areas of 63 provinces and cities and all 705 administrative units at district and county levels, as well as important areas such as industrial parks, airports, and political centers. VNPT said that there are currently about 3 million subscribers using 5G.

Although MobiFone has not announced the launch of the service, it has already provided 5G services to customers. MobiFone said that the network is expanding its telecommunications infrastructure and adding 5G broadcasting bands, aiming to broadcast 5G in 100% of communes nationwide. MobiFone will provide a super-fast connection experience, meeting the increasing demand for Internet access for customers.