Mobile carriers urged to leverage 5G system

As Vietnam reaches high 5G coverage after just over a year of deployment, the country now stands at a critical turning point, but is challenged by how to ensure that 5G and AI become the backbone of a broader digital economy.

- By Nguyen Huong

At the GSMA Digital Summit in Hanoi on May 26, leaders of GSMA Intelligence said Vietnam’s 5G network had already reached 90 per cent population coverage, describing it as the fastest rollout ever witnessed globally.

However, while Vietnam has effectively achieved its 5G coverage target, the much bigger challenge is only beginning. Technology leaders from home and abroad argued that turning connectivity into tangible economic value is the next step.

Thiem Cong Nguyen, deputy CEO of MobiFone, said current technologies are already capable of meeting virtually all market demands. He said that this is the moment for mobile carriers to identify their own specialised services for each market segment and fully leverage the costly 5G infrastructure they have built.

“As older-generation technologies are gradually phased out, the need to learn from countries that moved earlier in developing 5G into the core infrastructure serving the entire economy will become increasingly urgent. This challenge can only be solved if all industries participate together, rather than leaving telecommunications to shoulder the burden alone. Only then can Vietnam’s 5G network operate safely, stably, and meet the needs of the broader economy,” he said.