20,000 Viettel 5G stations were deployed in more than 9 months

In an official dispatch on the results of actual inspection and testing in telecommunications network infrastructure development dated December 22, the Ministry of Science and Technology said that from February 19 to December 10, Viettel installed and put into use 20,758 5G stations. Among them, 2,011 stations are “Make in Vietnam” products, able to operate according to O-RAN open standards.

According to the Ministry, the results are “in line with the orientation of mastering advanced and strategic technology” stated in Resolution No. 57 of the Politburo and Decision 1131 of the Government, and the network operator “completed the task” of the number of 5G stations.

Previously, in its announcement on December 8, Viettel said it had achieved the above milestone three weeks earlier than planned. By December 31, they plan to install an additional 3,500 stations, along with 6,500 stations in 2024, bringing the total number of 5G stations to 30,000. Thanks to that, they can cover 5G to 90% of outdoor areas and 70% of indoor areas nationwide, from urban to rural areas.

Increasing 5G coverage is one of the key tasks of the telecommunications industry in 2025. At the beginning of the year, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 193 on piloting a number of special mechanisms and policies, creating breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, including policies to promote 5G universalization.

In addition to the growth in the number of stations, Viettel said they are also the only unit in Vietnam deploying a standalone 5G network (Standalone – SA). This is a complete 5G network, all core network components, radio broadcasting equipment… are of the 5G generation instead of being shared with 4G, can reach speeds of up to 10 Gbps and in fact are about 15-20 times higher than 4G.

The deployment of 5G networks by three carriers Viettel, VinaPhone, and MobiFone has contributed to improving the quality and ranking of Vietnam’s mobile Internet. Vietnam’s Internet speed chart on Ookla Speedtest’s statistics table, after many years of moving sideways, has rebounded in the first quarter of 2025. In July-September, Vietnam ranked the highest ever, with 8th place in fixed Internet, 14th in mobile Internet, while a year ago, both categories were outside the top 30.

In a report in early December, the Ministry of Science and Technology said that the 5G network currently covers 59% of the population.