Lieutenant General Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and General Director of Viettel, said participation in the global 6G alliance demonstrates the group’s commitment to mastering core technologies and contributing to the 6G ecosystem from its earliest stages.

Under the roadmap, 6G is envisioned as an AI-native system, integrating artificial intelligence across devices, networks and cloud computing infrastructure. The technology is built upon three main pillars: next-generation connectivity, large-scale sensing and high-performance computing capability.

Viettel will take part in research on 6G architecture, conduct early trials of pre-commercial systems and devices in 2028, contribute to standard-setting activities and prepare for commercial deployment from 2029.

The group defines “6G commercialization” not merely as providing 6G telecom services in the future, but as bringing to market 6G technology products researched, developed and manufactured by Viettel, including network equipment, software platforms and AI-integrated smart device ecosystems.

“Joining the global 6G alliance reflects Viettel’s determination to master core technologies and contribute to the 6G ecosystem from the outset. We look forward to working with partners to foster innovation and gradually bring Vietnamese-developed technology products deeper into the global value chain,” Tao Duc Thang said.

Alkash Palkhiwala, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Qualcomm, shared: “Viettel is one of the most advanced, responsive and outstanding teams we have collaborated with globally. Their speed of innovation and execution capability are truly impressive. We have witnessed gradual progress in the industry, but this partnership holds the potential to create something entirely different - world-first breakthroughs. Qualcomm greatly values the strong support from Viettel and from Vietnam. This is a long-term commitment.”

At the event, Viettel also announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to establish a strategic partnership in AI-integrated smart mobile devices.

Under the MoU, the two sides aim to jointly develop and commercialize a flagship smartphone line. Qualcomm will provide or license reference designs for the devices and offer technical support during evaluation and integration. Viettel will directly develop, manufacture and commercialize the products based on that platform, integrating its self-developed Agentic AI software ecosystem.

The combination of Qualcomm’s high-end hardware and Viettel’s Agentic AI platform is expected to create a new generation of smart devices serving as endpoints in the current 5G ecosystem and progressing toward 6G in the future.

Viettel is currently a pioneer in large-scale commercial deployment of 5G and Open RAN. With its announcement at MWC Barcelona 2026, the group continues to engage in shaping the technical foundation of 6G through network architecture research, core technology trials and the promotion of international standardization.

Alongside Viettel, FPT also declared its participation in the global strategic alliance for 6G technology development, expanding opportunities in strategic areas such as smart transportation, autonomous UAVs, smart manufacturing and advanced digital engineering.

Earlier, Tao Duc Thang said Viettel would continue to invest strongly in developing 5G-Advanced and 6G technologies to keep pace with global trends. By 2027, Viettel plans to commercialize 5G-Advanced equipment deployed under open and virtualized models with enhanced features compared to current 5G. These include increasing uplink coverage from approximately 30-50 percent of downlink coverage to around 70-100 percent, reducing latency from around 10 ms to about 1 ms, improving positioning accuracy from meter-level errors to centimeter-level precision, and cutting energy consumption by 10-30 percent.

“Viettel will manufacture and test 6G equipment on live networks during 2028-2030. As a telecommunications operator, we identify post-5G and 6G mobile network technologies as among the top strategic priorities for investment. They are also among the three strategic technologies proposed by the Ministry of Science and Technology for early deployment to achieve practical results, enable commercialization and make significant contributions to the development of national digital infrastructure,” Tao Duc Thang said.

Thai Khang