Vietnam operator Viettel Telecom deployed 20,000 5G sites across the country, reaching a year-end target ahead of schedule and claiming 90 per cent outdoor and 70 per cent indoor coverage.

In a LinkedIn post, Viettel noted all sites support standalone (SA)and non-standalone 5G, with both the core and access layers entirely 5G, delivering speeds of up to 10Gb/s.

The 5G network, deployed with Ericsson, includes Viettel-developed technologies, such as 5G gNodeB base stations and the vOCS 4.0 charging system, the operator stated. Its R&D unit Viettel High Tech also developed a 5G chipset.

In a separate post, Ericsson Vietnam VP Trung Phan added Viettel is the first operator in the country to commercially deploy end-to-end SA 5G, supported by its radio system for the nationwide RAN rollout and full SA core network.

Viettel is the largest mobile player in Vietnam with nearly 79.1 million mobile connections at end-September, data from GSMA Intelligence showed. It is estimated to have 8.4 million 5G users.

It started testing 5G in parts of the country’s two largest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, using trial licences in 2019 and officially introduced the service in late 2024 along with rival VNPT.