Back in 2020, we wrote about Viettel's ambition to launch 5G using homegrown technology. Fast forward to 2025 and the Vietnamese operator has significantly advanced those ambitions. At MWC 2025, Viettel showcased its latest Private 5G Network solutions, and has since taken major steps in deploying commercial Open RAN networks, developing international partnerships, and building its own end-to-end 5G ecosystem.
Viettel’s commercial Open RAN 5G network is now live in Vietnam, marking a major milestone in the operator’s journey from national champion to global contender. Powered by Qualcomm’s X100 platform for distributed units and QRU100 for Massive MIMO radio units, the network delivers high capacity and energy efficiency across multiple provinces. Viettel is using inline accelerators to offload baseband processing, lowering cost and power usage while enhancing performance. These O-RAN-compliant radio units support 32T32R Massive MIMO and form part of Viettel’s strategy to provide public and private 5G services with full network automation and orchestration capabilities.
This deployment is not just a local success story. Over 300 sites were deployed in the first quarter of 2025, with thousands more planned both within Vietnam and internationally. The scale of the effort makes Viettel one of the largest carriers to launch a commercial Open RAN network. In addition to the network infrastructure, Viettel High Tech (VHT), the group’s R&D and equipment manufacturing arm, has contributed a substantial portion of the RAN software, positioning itself as a serious technology supplier in its own right.
The software stack developed by Viettel replaces what operators would traditionally source from vendors like Ericsson or Nokia. Viettel High Tech's in-house team is responsible for critical software components that run on central and distributed units, while Qualcomm supplies the Layer 1 functions on dedicated inline accelerator cards. These accelerators bypass the need for general-purpose CPUs in handling time-sensitive RAN tasks, offering improved performance without compromising on the virtualisation or cloud-native aspects of the deployment. Qualcomm’s Layer 1 is containerised and compatible with cloud platforms from AWS and Red Hat, underlining its open architecture credentials.
Viettel’s use of inline accelerators on this scale is unprecedented. Each site includes an X100 card, making it one of the largest global deployments of this architecture. Outside Vietnam, most virtual RAN deployments rely on Intel’s lookaside model, where the CPU handles much of the processing. Viettel’s decision to go with inline accelerators marks a departure from this norm and showcases a different approach to RAN virtualisation.
The partnership between Viettel and Qualcomm is also expanding beyond Vietnam’s borders. At MWC Barcelona 2025, Viettel High Tech signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Emirates Integrated Telecommunications (du) and its partner High Cloud Technologies. This agreement covers testing and future deployment of both 5G Open RAN and Private Network solutions in the UAE. The initial focus is on evaluating these technologies on du’s network, with potential applications in smart cities, industrial IoT and immersive technologies like AR and VR. This represents the first time Vietnamese-developed 5G equipment is being tested for commercial use outside the country.
The collaboration aligns with the UAE’s digital infrastructure strategy and could open the door to large-scale commercial deployments in the Middle East. Successful trials with du are a key step in Viettel’s broader plan to become a global supplier of advanced telecom infrastructure. Viettel is already present in markets such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Peru, where the 5G rollout is still in early stages. These regions offer opportunities for Viettel to replicate its success at home and extend its influence.
While Viettel’s 5G rollout includes other major vendors, with Ericsson and Nokia reportedly securing two-thirds of the deployment share, the remaining share, driven by Viettel High Tech and Qualcomm, is significant in scale and innovation. The collaboration showcases an alternative model where operators develop critical network software in-house and pair it with silicon from a specialised vendor.
Qualcomm’s contribution is not limited to the distributed units. The company also provides critical components for radio units, including beamforming and signal processing via its QRU and QTR chips. These are integrated into Viettel’s Massive MIMO units, each equipped with 32 transmitters and receivers, enhancing both coverage and capacity. Although the solution appears vertically integrated, Qualcomm continues to validate its Open RAN credentials through efforts such as interoperability work with NEC under the OREX programme in Japan.
Viettel’s approach demonstrates a vertically integrated yet standards-compliant model that leverages in-house development, strategic partnerships, and cloud-native design. It is building a scalable and sustainable 5G infrastructure that supports both domestic and international ambitions. As it rolls out thousands more sites and extends its presence into new markets, Viettel is proving that national champions can innovate at a global level.
Vietnam’s investment in indigenous telecom technology and its collaboration with global partners like Qualcomm is reshaping perceptions of where cutting-edge 5G innovation can originate. With continued momentum in Open RAN, Private Networks, and global expansion, Viettel is now firmly established as a telecoms infrastructure player to watch.
