2G completed its historic mission, 5G continues to write the story of the digital future

(Dan Tri) - From the first calls on the 2G network, mobile technology has now become an essential infrastructure, paving the way for a digital economy with 4G, 5G and new business models.

From thousand-dollar phones to affordable mobile networks

According to Mr. Mai Liem Truc, former Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, in the period 1991-1993, Europe deployed GSM digital cellular technology. However, GSM was still in the process of being completed and had not been widely commercialized.

In that context, Director General of the General Department of Posts and Telecommunications Dang Van Than and leaders of the Post and Telecommunications industry decided to choose GSM technology, aiming for a modern and synchronous network, from local network to transmission using digital technology.

On October 15, 2004, Viettel launched a mobile network with the prefix 098, becoming the 4th network operator in Vietnam (Photo: Viettel).

This is a decision made when GSM still has many limitations. The technology is not yet complete, commercialization is difficult, terminals are scarce and prices reach thousands of dollars each.

Vietnam at that time even considered the option of using satellite mobile technology, which has advantages in coverage and is being heavily invested in in the US and Europe. However, after considering the market, technology, terminal equipment and management capabilities, the General Department of Post and Telecommunications decided to build a GSM terrestrial mobile information network.

In 1992, the General Department of Post and Telecommunications began negotiating with partners to prepare to deploy GSM nationwide. On April 16, 1993, MobiFone - Vietnam's first mobile network - officially went into operation. By 1994, the GSM mobile network was established by VNPT and provided services in some major cities.

At that time, mobile phones were still a strange concept to most people. Infrastructure is limited, experience in building and operating networks is lacking, while terminal equipment and service fees are very expensive.

In 1996, VinaPhone was born, followed by S-Fone. However, Vietnam's mobile market only really exploded when Viettel officially entered the market.

On October 15, 2004, Viettel launched a mobile network with the prefix 098, becoming the 4th network operator in Vietnam. After just one year, Viettel reached the milestone of 1 million subscribers - a number that previous mobile networks took more than 10 years to achieve. After 4 years, Viettel rose to become the number 1 network operator in Vietnam with 20 million subscribers.

When Viettel entered the market, only about 5% of Vietnamese people used mobile phones and this service was quite expensive, mainly for high-income groups. But after only 3 years, mobile phones have transformed from an expensive service into a popular service, expanding access opportunities for a large number of people.

Wave wings replace mail wings, connecting the farthest places

The value of mobile networks lies not only in the number of subscribers or the revenue of carriers. For many people, especially in remote areas, border areas, and islands, a mobile signal tower is synonymous with the ability to connect and change lives.

For many people, especially in remote areas, border areas, and islands, a mobile signal tower is also synonymous with the ability to connect and change lives (Photo: Viettel).

Soldiers at Border Guard Station 739 in the Central Highlands once said that, when there was no mobile signal, spiritual food from far away places was mainly letters and transistor radios. Every year near Tet, soldiers write letters to their families and wait until Tet to receive a response.

By 2006, Viettel built a BTS station in this area to serve communication for border guards. Calls to family during Tet have become a part of the spiritual life of soldiers at the border.

In Truong Sa, the appearance of mobile waves also gradually replaced the envelopes and stamps that were indispensable items in Tet gifts sent to soldiers.

Mobile phones have even become a means of rescue in life and death situations.

Near Tet 2018, on Phu Quy island, Binh Thuan, a fisherman received a call to rescue a fishing boat in distress. During the rescue process, the fishermen's ship had a problem and sank. In the midst of an emergency, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan's husband found a water-resistant "water commando" phone and called home to report the location of the accident.

The call helped the family notify the authorities, allowing rescue forces to promptly reach and bring back those in distress.

Another case happened to the fishing boat BD 763 in the Truong Sa area in 2009. When the boat's bottom was punctured and gradually sank near Da Tay Island, the fishermen used Icom devices to ask for help, but other boats were too far away.

While preparing to leave the ship, a member discovered that the phone using the Viettel network still had a signal bar. From that phone call, the fishermen reported the coordinates of the ship in distress to the mainland. At 5:00 a.m. on April 1, 2009, all eight fishermen were safely brought ashore by Da Tay Island soldiers.

Calls to family during Tet have become a part of the spiritual life of soldiers at the border (Photo: Viettel).

These stories show a special value of telecommunications infrastructure: connection not only serves daily communication needs, but in many cases also creates "lines" between seemingly isolated places and the mainland.

From eliminating infrastructure "sinks" to opening the door to the digital economy

If 2G brought mobile phones to the masses, subsequent generations of networks are bringing the Internet, e-commerce and digital services deeper into rural life.

In recent years, telecommunications infrastructure in the North Central highlands has been invested relatively synchronously. 4G waves cover many remote villages, gradually eliminating "wave depression areas".

Generations of 4G and 5G networks are bringing the Internet, e-commerce and digital services deeper into life (Photo: Viettel).

Along with infrastructure, working groups and digital transformation teams come to the village to guide people in using technology, the Internet and digital platforms.

For ethnic minorities, smartphones are no longer simply for communication but have become a production and business tool. Facebook and other social networking platforms have become "online markets", helping people bring products to customers in many localities.

In Coi Da village, Ms. Doan's family's idea of ​​developing tourism started after a training class on community tourism for Bru Van Kieu women in 2023. She and her husband built two huts by the stream as tourist attractions, then proactively promoted their images on social networks.

Videos and images of landscapes and traditional dishes are widely shared. From only serving local and provincial tourists, Suoi Ban tourist destination has attracted visitors from big cities and international visitors.

This model not only creates income for the family but also creates jobs for 5 workers in the village, and opens up additional outlets for local products such as charcoal sticky rice, lead cake, chicken, and vegetables.

In Lai Chau, Sin Suoi Ho village is also showing how technology can support community tourism. Young people in the village use Facebook and TikTok to take photos, record videos and promote destinations. Visitors can also use the digital tourist map installed right in the village to learn about destinations, culture, customs and typical costumes.

In Binh Lu, digital transformation continues to penetrate into another area: agricultural product consumption.

Dong vermicelli in Binh Lu and Lai Chau once faced the problem of "a good harvest losing its value". There was a time when the price of vermicelli flour was only 16,000 VND/kg, producers mainly sold wholesale to traders and had difficulty directly reaching faraway consumers.

According to Mr. Vang Van Ngoc, Chairman of Binh Lu Commune Farmers' Association, there was a time when a household selling livestream on TikTok Shop got a ton of vermicelli, while the previous traditional method only consumed about 10-20kg/day.

From here, people began to shift from the mindset of "finishing production and waiting for traders to buy" to "making products and selling them to users nationwide".

5G turns high-speed connection into infrastructure serving production, e-commerce, tourism and digital economic models (Photo: Viettel).

Community digital technology groups were formed. People learn how to use smartphones to record videos, livestream, tell stories about products and introduce the traditional process of making vermicelli. Young people guide middle-aged people, women and the elderly to approach new sales methods.

Viettel Post also participates in supporting agricultural product consumption in Lai Chau. According to Mr. Tran Viet Huy, Director of Viettel Post Lai Chau, the Agricultural Product Journey campaign in Sin Ho has helped consume more than 300 tons of ginseng. When listed on the stock exchange, the product value tripled and sales volume also tripled compared to before.

Not only does it support sales, the business also provides logistics services from collection, packaging to transportation, and communication infrastructure to serve digital economic activities.

Notably, there was a livestream session conducted by TikToker Ms. Ba Hong that sold 4 tons of agricultural products to people in Lai Chau. Livestream activities are deployed on 5G infrastructure provided by Viettel.

From a phone serving the first calls, mobile infrastructure is becoming the foundation for new economic activities.

2G has completed its mission of universalizing connectivity. 4G brings the Internet closer to people. And 5G is opening up another step: turning high-speed connection into infrastructure for production, e-commerce, tourism and digital economic models right in the villages.