Vietnam's mobile internet speed is in the world's top 20

Statistics released by Ookla, the company behind the Speedtest tool, show that Vietnam is one of the markets witnessing the most impressive growth in mobile networks. As of February, the domestic mobile network reached 144.5 Mbps, up 7.7% compared to the previous month and ranked 19th in the global rankings.

In Southeast Asia alone, Vietnam ranks 3rd after Malaysia (168.94, position 12) and Singapore (160.56 Mbps, position 15).

Globally, the UAE maintains its leading position in mobile internet with a speed of 543.91 Mbps.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's fixed network in February reached 164.77 Mbps, ranking 35th. Singapore leads the world in fixed network with 345.33 Mbps.

5G, which will be commercialized by Viettel in October 2024 and VinaPhone in December, is considered the reason for the sharp increase in Internet speed in Vietnam after many years of stagnation.

In September 2024, Ookla data recorded that Vietnam's mobile network reached a speed of 54.17 Mbps, ranking 51st globally. After less than half a year, the index increased nearly 3 times, while the ranking increased 32 places.

The above results are also similar to data from iSpeed ​​of the Ministry of Science and Technology. This tool has just added a category of statistics on 5G measurement results, showing that the 5G download speed in Vietnam reached 187.58 Mbps in February, nearly 3 times higher than the 65.61 Mbps of the general mobile Internet connection. Of which, the median download speed on Viettel's 5G network was the highest at 226.27 Mbps, VNPT reached 157.17 Mbps.

Ookla's data shows that 5G usage in Vietnam increased from approximately 0% in September last year to 31.9% in February this year. The index is calculated based on the number of devices that spend the most time on the 5G network compared to the total number of devices that support this network. "This reflects the rapid expansion of coverage," Ookla experts assessed.

Network operators are also continuously expanding coverage and adding packages to encourage users to switch to 5G. On March 10, Viettel added daily packages priced from VND10,000. The network operator said it had reached 5.5 million 5G users and would expand coverage in 2025 with a target of 10 million subscribers. Meanwhile, VinaPhone also confirmed reaching 3 million subscribers.

In recent times, Vietnam has taken many measures to promote 5G development, including organizing frequency auctions and providing financial support for network operators to deploy quickly. Resolution 193 of the National Assembly issued on February 19 added a policy that telecommunications enterprises that deploy 5G infrastructure and have at least 20,000 transmission stations accepted and put into use by the end of the year will be supported with 15% of station equipment costs.

According to a report by the Ministry of Science and Technology on March 18, Viettel and VNPT plan to deploy at least 20,000 5G BTS stations in 2025.