Compared to the boom years of mobile services about 20 years ago, the Lunar New Year was a peak time for traditional voice and SMS services. However, the situation has completely changed in recent years. Statistics show that the habit of calling to wish people a happy New Year has gradually decreased. Conversely, data usage during the recent Lunar New Year increased sharply compared to the same period last year.
Viettel's system recorded a 92.8% increase in data consumption, while VNPT increased by 18.24%, and MobiFone by 16.65%. Data services, social networks, and digital content were the main drivers of growth. Demand for watching videos, using social networks, livestreaming, and sharing images and videos remained high during the holiday season.
According to the Telecommunications Authority, the trend of shifting traffic for mobile services is becoming increasingly evident. The telecommunications landscape during the 2026 Lunar New Year clearly shows a change in the usage behavior of Vietnamese users, with internet-based services becoming the primary channel for communication and entertainment. This necessitates mobile network operators implementing policies to retain customers with reasonable and affordable data packages, compared to the previous practice of reducing SMS or call rates.
According to data from the i-Speed speed measurement platform of the Vietnam Internet Center (Ministry of Science and Technology), in January 2026, the quality of mobile broadband networks showed significant growth, especially 5G networks. Specifically, the average download speed of 5G nationwide reached 594.81Mbps, 52% faster than the 391.05Mbps download speed in December 2025; the upload speed reached 123.71Mbps, 29.5% faster than the 95.47Mbps recorded in the previous month.
By 2025, Vietnam will have approximately 127 million active mobile connections, equivalent to 126% of the population, indicating a trend towards multi-device usage. The number of internet users will reach nearly 80 million (78.8% of the population), with 95.4% accessing the internet via smartphones. Also by 2025, 5G networks will be commercially available and cover over 90% of the national population.
In early 2026, the Department of Telecommunications also granted a license to provide telecommunications services with network infrastructure, specifically a fixed satellite telecommunications network, to Starlink Services Vietnam Co., Ltd. Starlink is a low-orbit satellite internet system with 6,750 satellites orbiting at an altitude of 550km. This service is available in more than 125 countries and territories with 5 million users and can serve as a supplement to fixed and mobile terrestrial telecommunications services of domestic network operators, especially in remote, border, and island areas; particularly in the event of natural disasters or catastrophes when terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure is affected.
Vietnam is the fifth country in Southeast Asia to have Starlink satellite internet, after the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Timor Leste. This is an important step in promoting Vietnam's national digital infrastructure; and at the same time, better serving the telecommunications service needs of Vietnamese people, as data and OTT services are increasingly important and overshadow traditional telecommunications services.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/buoc-tien-quan-important-post840607.html
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