Viettel awarded trial 5G license

Vietnam's Ministry of Communications has awarded the nation's first 5G trial license to military-run operator Viettel.

The ministry has awarded a license that will allow Viettel to operate trial 5G services in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Viettel plans to conduct technical trials and evaluate the ability to deploy 5G infrastructure in the nation.

Viettel will not be allowed to collect fees from 5G users during the trial period, which will last until January 21 next year, the report states.

According to Reuters, Viettel has earmarked $40 million for the development of its own 5G chipset, but is also evaluating using technology from Ericsson and Nokia.

Viettel has around 60 million subscribers in Vietnam, and has been aggressively pursuing overseas expansion, with Viettel Global now having operations in 10 countries.