Vietnam service providers jump high in global telecom brand rankings

The fastest-growing brand is state-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), jumping 17 places from last year to 55th after increasing its brand value by 42 percent to $2.4 billion, according to a report by Brand Finance, a London-based branded business valuation consultancy.

"VNPT has invested in 4G networks in order to meet customer demand and has ramped up efforts to increase its fibre optic cable speed, while still maintaining tariffs," the report said.

"The Vietnamese government’s plans for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, smart cities, start-ups, the National Innovation Network Program, 4G and 5G, IoT, and mobile telecommunication networks are supporting the telecoms sector to grow from strength to strength," it added.

Vietnam’s largest telecommunication service provider Viettel has climbed nine places to 28th with its brand value worth $5.8 billion, up 34.4 percent year-on-year.

VinaPhone has jumped 13 places to 106th while state-owned telecom giant MobiFone rose six places to 100th.

Brand Finance said it conducted original market research across 29 markets with a sample size of over 50,000 adults, representative of each country’s internet population aged 18 and above. Surveys for the latest ranking were conducted online during autumn 2019.

Topping the list was American telecommunications company Verizon, followed by American multinational conglomerate holding company AT&T and Chinese telecommunications operator China Mobile.

Vietnamese telecoms started piloting 4G, the fourth generation broadband cellular network technology, in December 2015. The government plans to expand coverage to 95 percent of the population by 2020.

Local telecom firms are chasing a head start in the 5G race as Vietnam expects to become an early adopter of the technology. Telecom giant Viettel broadcast from its network of 5G base transceiver stations in Ho Chi Minh City last September for the first time.

Around 64 million people, or over half the country's population, are online.