Four mobile operators in Vietnam, Viettel; VNPT; Mobifone; and Gtel Mobile agreed to share network resources to reduce costs and prepare for 5G, Vietnam Express reported.

The companies signed a deal to share about 1,200 base stations and jointly deploy towers in future.

Cao Duc Thang, deputy general director of military-owned Viettel Group, said sharing infrastructure would be vital to bring 5G coverage to all parts of the country including rural areas, the newspaper wrote.

With most operators having nearly 100 per cent population coverage, network sharing had not been a priority until considering the next-generation technology, he told Vietnam Express.

Nguyen Truong Phi, general director of Gtel Mobile, said with only a 2G network it’s important for it to partner with the others to deploy 5G, the newspaper reported.

Last month, VNPT and Mobifone signed a deal to share 700 sites and cooperate in a number of regions.

The country has five MNOs, including Vietnammobile, and two MVNOs following a launch by Mobicast earlier this month.