2G shutdown on track as country gears up for 5G

Vietnam expects the number of 2G subscribers will shrink to 5% of total mobile users by September.

Vietnam is on track to turn off 2G mobile signals as the country gears up for the development and rollout of 5G services.

Nguyen Phong Nha, deputy director of the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority (VTA), said in a recent press conference that measures have been taken to speed up the shutdown of the country’s 2G networks.

Citing reports from telco service providers across Vietnam, Nha said the number of 2G subscribers is expected to go down to 5% of the country’s total mobile users by September this year.

The VTA hopes to totally phase out 2G in the country by September when the carriers’ licenses to carry the service expire.

Telco operators have been stepping up their collective campaign for existing 2G users to upgrade to more modern handsets, particularly since the VTA enforced a ban in March prohibiting new subscriptions of 2G-only phones.

As of September 2023, Vietnam had 15 million 2G subscribers.

Gearing up for commercial 5G rollout

Meanwhile, Nha said that Viettel and VNPT are expected to roll out their 5G services in Vietnam within the next 11 months. They both acquired 5G licenses last month.

According to Nha, the two companies are currently investing in equipment and network infrastructure to enable their 5G deployment. He added both Viettel and VNPT are also committed to building 3,000 5G basestations within the next two years.

Upcoming 5G services will be first deployed in urban areas nationwide, particularly in industrial zones, export processing zones and innovation centers – where there is high demand and a high percentage of 5G-compatible devices.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), Vietnam’s telecom regulator, is determined to see commercial 5G services take off in the country. It has set a target of providing 5G coverage to 99% of the population by 2025, at a minimum 100Mbit/s data speed.