Viettel High Tech, under Vietnam’s top telco Viettel, has signed a 6G Platform Early Access Program agreement with US semiconductor company Qualcomm Technologies.
In a statement on Monday, Viettel High Tech said it is the first partner globally selected by Qualcomm for the program. The agreement marks an expansion of the two companies’ cooperation from 5G Open RAN equipment development to 6G technology.
The target is to complete Vietnam’s first pre-commercial 6G call by early 2029 on systems and equipment researched, developed, and manufactured by Viettel itself.
Under the agreement, Viettel and Qualcomm will jointly research, design, develop, and manufacture sixth-generation base stations. Viettel will process with research, design, development, integration, manufacturing, testing, and product quality evaluation. Qualcomm will provide the chipset platform and development tools.
The two sides will evaluate interoperability between Qualcomm’s 6G platform and Viettel-developed products, and optimize performance under real operating conditions and scenarios.
Through the program, Viettel can gain access to Qualcomm’s chipset platform and development tools ahead of broad commercialization. The cooperation can help Viettel develop products in parallel with Qualcomm’s platform development and shorten the time to bring 6G products to market.
In addition to 6G research, the two sides agreed to continue expanding international markets for Viettel’s 5G equipment across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Qualcomm will connect Viettel with global operators and partners, while Viettel will provide solutions, products, and deployment experience to support wider international market access for Vietnamese-made telecommunications equipment.
Viettel’s 5G equipment, developed on Qualcomm’s chipset platform, has already been deployed on the network. Viettel has deployed 24,000 5G base stations nationwide and plans to add a further 20,000 in 2026, with more than 15 percent of equipment researched and produced by Viettel High Tech.
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