The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) continued its 5G deployment plan, granting state-owned operator VNPT-Vinaphone permission to conduct 5G trials.
In a statement, the MIC said the state-owned operator will pilot 5G with up to 5,000 subscribers in the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, using spectrum in the 2,600MHz and 3,700MHz-3,800MHz frequency bands. It will use around up to 100 base stations with testing to begin in December.
The government arm also stated VNPT-Vinaphone partnered with smartphone manufacturers to test 5G devices currently available in the market to ensure “users will have the best experience”, and noted, “to date more than half of all available devices have been tested”.
Earlier in the year, the MIC granted licenses to Vietnam’s other incumbent operators, Viettel and Mobifone, to conduct 5G test trials.