"The official broadcast of 5G in Ho Chi Minh City is an important milestone in Viettel’s strategy to make Vietnam one of the first countries in the world to commercialize 5G services," Viettel deputy director Tao Duc Thang said in a statement.

A logo of the upcoming mobile standard 5G is pictured at the Hanover trade fair in Hanover, Germany March 31, 2019.

The 10 stations will be used by Viettel, the nation’s largest telecom firm, to comprehensively check and assess its 5G service before launching it commercially next year.

Military-run Viettel installed the first 5G station in Hanoi early this year and made the first 5G phone call in May. It was the first firm in the country to receive permission to trial 5G services in January, followed by MobiFone.

Last November, Information and Communication Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said at a conference that Vietnam should test 5G in 2019 and ensure nationwide coverage by 2020.

"Vietnam should be one of the first countries to launch the network, at least in Hanoi and HCMC," he had said. The country had been one of the last in Southeast Asia to roll out 4G services.

5G is said to offer speeds 100 times faster than 4G, primarily used for smartphones and other similar devices. 5G is also expected to support new applications like remote medical procedures and autonomous driving.

Vietnam’s telco giants get green light for 5G tech tests

Viettel, the first to receive permission to trial 5G services in January, is now followed by VNPT and MobiFone.

Launching the 5G mobile technology

Despite applying the 2G, 3G and 4G technologies later than many other countries, by launching its first 5G call early last month, Vietnam has become one of the nations with the earliest successful piloting of the 5G mobile network in the world. The fact affirms that Vietnam has caught up with the leading countries in information and communication technology (ICT) around the globe.

Nikkei: Vietnam aims to become first 5G service provider in Southeast Asia

Vietnam aims to become the first country in Southeast Asia to put 5G into commercial operation in 2020, according to Japanese daily Nikkei.

Minister spotlights role of 5G at ASEAN Conference

Minister of Information and Communication (MIC) Nguyen Manh Hung highlighted the role of 5G – the next generation of wireless technology – as the pillar of the digital economy at the ASEAN Conference on 5G in Hanoi on March 21.

Viettel gets one-year 5G trial license

Vietnam's largest telecommunications company Viettel has received a license to trial its 5G services.

Source: VnExpress