Under the partnership unveiled recently in Hanoi, Viettel and Qualcomm will jointly research, develop and manufacture sixth-generation (6G) radio access network equipment, with the goal of completing Viettel's first pre-commercial 6G call by early 2029 using network infrastructure and devices designed, developed and manufactured entirely by Viettel.

The agreement expands the long-standing strategic cooperation between the two companies beyond 5G Open RAN to the development of future 6G technologies.

Under the programme, Viettel will be responsible for research, system design, product development, integration, manufacturing, field trials and performance evaluation of 6G base stations, while Qualcomm will provide its next-generation chipset platform and development tools.

The two sides will also conduct interoperability testing between Qualcomm's 6G platform and Viettel-developed equipment, alongside optimizing product performance under real-world deployment scenarios.

Qualcomm's Early Access Program is reserved exclusively for selected strategic partners, allowing participants to access chipset platforms and software development tools before commercial release. By joining the programme at an early stage, Viettel will be able to develop commercial products in parallel with Qualcomm's chipset development, significantly shortening research cycles and accelerating time to market once 6G chipsets become commercially available.

Lieutenant General Tao Duc Thang, chairman and chief executive officer of Viettel Group, affirmed the company is committed to mastering core telecommunications technologies.

He said Viettel aims to conduct its first pre-commercial 6G call using an end-to-end system designed, developed and manufactured entirely by the company. This reflects Viettel's long-term strategy of mastering the full technology value chain, from research and design to product development, manufacturing, commercialisation and deployment.

The cooperation is also viewed as recognition of Vietnam's growing role in the global telecommunications technology ecosystem.

While Qualcomm's strategic technology programmes have traditionally been launched with partners in major technology hubs such as the United States and the Republic of Korea, Viettel's participation as the first global partner in the 6G Early Access Program highlights Vietnam's increasing importance in the company's next-generation technology roadmap.

The partnership builds on successful collaboration between the two companies since 2022 in developing 5G Open RAN equipment.

Viettel's 5G products, developed using Qualcomm chipsets, have already been commercially deployed across the company's network, providing a foundation for expanding cooperation into 6G technologies.

Durga Malladi, executive vice president and general manager for Technology Planning, Edge Solutions and Data Centre at Qualcomm Technologies Inc., said the company had been impressed by Viettel's achievements in wireless research, product development and large-scale commercial deployment.

According to Malladi, Viettel's ability to independently develop and commercialise advanced radio technologies has positioned the company to participate in 6G development from its earliest stages.

He said Qualcomm would continue supporting Viettel in research, testing and development, with the goal of making the Vietnamese telecom operator one of Asia's pioneers in 6G deployment.

Malladi also noted that Viettel's rapid commercial deployment of 5G Open RAN had become a reference model for telecom operators worldwide.

Qualcomm has introduced several international telecom companies, including Japan's Rakuten and operators from India, the United States and Europe, to learn from Viettel's experience in developing and deploying telecommunications equipment.

The cooperation also aims to expand international markets for Viettel's 5G products across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Looking ahead, collaboration between the two companies is expected to extend beyond radio access technologies.

Future 6G networks are expected to be built around AI-native architectures, creating opportunities for cooperation in high-performance computing, data centre servers, intelligent sensing technologies, autonomous AI devices and next-generation wireless systems.

For Viettel, participating in global 6G research from the earliest stage is expected to strengthen its technological capabilities while positioning Vietnam to play a more active role in the global telecommunications value chain.

The initiative also aligns with Vietnam's broader national strategy to promote science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, including the development of next-generation communications technologies.

By investing in 6G research well before commercial deployment, Viettel aims not only to enhance its own competitiveness but also to help bring Vietnamese technology closer to the global frontier.