The Military Industry-Telecoms Group (Viettel) said it will broadcast 5G services on a large scale in the third quarter of this year.
Viettel has reportedly achieved revenue of VND81 trillion (US$), equivalent to 101.2 per cent of its six-month plan.
Its profit reached VND24.1 trillion, or approximately 102 per cent of the plan, and paid VND21.6 trillion to the State budget.
Viettel has actively shifted 2G and 3G subscribers to 4G, bringing the ratio of 4G subscribers to nearly 78 per cent. It has also tested 5G services in 55 provinces and cities.
Viettel noted that it is on schedule to complete the mass 5G rollout. It has completed the construction of 282 stations, of which 265 are fully deployed.
Viettel is currently testing 5G capacity and is expected to broadcast to a wide area in the third quarter of this year.
VNPT, a major competitor of the military's own telecoms company, had a total consolidated revenue estimated at VND26.32 trillion ($1.1 billion), of which the parent company's revenue is VND18.6 trillion ($782 million) equaling 47.1 per cent of the year's plan.
VNPT's consolidated profit before tax was estimated at VND2.2 trillion ($92 million) in the first six months of this year, of which the parent company's pre-tax profit reached VND1.38 trillion ($58 million), equaling 49.7 per cent of the year plan.
MobiFone, another major player in the telecoms industry, saw revenue estimated at VND13.5 trillion ($568 million) in the first six months of this year, reaching 89.3 per cent of the same period last year.
Its profit before tax was VND1.56 trillion ($65 million), with contributions to the State budget estimated at VND1.35 trillion ($56 million).
However, the two carriers have not given information about their 5G development plans for the last six months of the year.
Source: http://bizhub.vn/tech/carriers-prepare-to-broadcast-5g-to-the-masses_345989.html