Vietnam Achieves 6% Domestic 5G Equipment Usage, Accelerates 6G R&D

Vietnamese telecommunications companies have successfully mastered the design, production, and commercialization of 5G equipment that meets international standards. Currently, approximately 6 percent of the total 2,500 5G base stations in operation nationwide use equipment researched and manufactured by Vietnamese enterprises. This domestic production rate indicates Vietnam's increasing self-reliance in the telecommunications technology sector. Furthermore, Vietnam is poised to play a more active role in the development of 6G, the next generation of wireless communication technology. The Ministry of Science and Technology has established a 6G Steering Committee, comprising agencies responsible for telecommunications and radio frequency management, technology enterprises, and universities. The committee aims to enable Vietnamese businesses, educational institutions, and research organizations to gain early access to 6G technology, participate in and contribute to global standardization efforts, and proactively select deployment solutions best suited to Vietnam's conditions. While it took Vietnam over eight years from the standardization of 4G technology to develop and master the production of 4G equipment, this timeline was shortened to nearly two years for 5G. Building on this experience, the country is expected to further reduce the time required for research and development for 6G, paving the way for early technological mastery. The telecommunications sector continues to maintain strong growth. Vietnam's mobile broadband speed has reached 210.85 Mbps, ranking ninth globally, while its IPv6 adoption rate has climbed to 67 percent, placing the country second in Southeast Asia. Viettel, a major telecommunications operator, has announced plans to begin trial deployment of a 6G network by 2028. The group is currently participating in research on 6G architecture and plans to conduct early trials of pre-commercial systems and devices by 2028, while contributing to global standard-setting efforts ahead of commercial deployment from 2029. Viettel emphasizes that its vision for 6G commercialization extends beyond providing telecommunications services to include the development and commercialization of technology products, such as in-house developed network equipment, software platforms, and AI-integrated smart device ecosystems.