Viettel Telecom's 25-year journey and the 'carbon grain' philosophy

(Chinhphu.vn) - Viettel Telecom's 25-year journey has proven that limits are temporary, but the spirit of breakthrough is eternal. "Standing still means falling behind" - Viettel Telecom constantly puts itself into a new furnace, a comprehensive transformation to evolve to a higher form.

Any single carbon atom can become coal or diamond, depending on the environment it is placed in.

Any carbon atom can become coal or diamond, depending on the environment it is placed in. If carbon must be subjected to a certain temperature and pressure to become a diamond, then a person or an organization can only reach its highest value form when placed in a challenging environment.

With this philosophy, Viettel Group Chairman Tao Duc Thang concluded that Viettel Telecom's 25-year journey is to continuously create a harsh "furnace" to turn tiny carbon particles into diamonds.

The "furnaces" that made history

The first and most severe furnace appeared in 2000, when Viettel Telecom entered the telecommunications market. At that time, Viettel Telecom was exactly a small carbon particle. No capital, no infrastructure, no customers, and almost invisible to competitors. The only thing they had was a license and a single option to enter the market: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 178.

This is even a technology that is considered by the "big guys" not worth investing in because of low profits.

The environment was full of obstructions. Bandwidth was choked, causing every word on the line to be broken into pieces. Connections were constantly blocked midway, forcing Viettel Telecom people to "live and wait for days, months at each provincial post office ". Without support for toll collection, they had to mobilize all their forces, go to every alley, knock on every door to collect every small fee.

Then the narrow path suddenly turned into a "suffocating battlefield" when other networks simultaneously jumped into the fray. It was in that seemingly unviable environment that Viettel Telecom learned how to be creative in a tight space, learned how to patiently wait for opportunities, and most importantly, learned how to turn pressure into strength.

VoIP 178, from a strange service, has not only changed the communication habits of millions of Vietnamese people, but also created a turning point for the whole market, breaking the "one-man-one-market" situation, forcing the leading network operator to reconsider its pricing and service quality, paving the way for the era of voice over the Internet and later telecommunications services. The first carbon particle has begun its transformation process.

Viettel's VOIP service - the first "golden goose" and the launching pad for future telecommunications services.

Having overcome the challenge of survival, Viettel Telecom did not stop to enjoy the results. They pushed themselves into a new "furnace" with even greater pressure, which was to build their own mobile network. The problem was still the same: no infrastructure, no large capital, no experience. But this time, they had a weapon that had been tempered: the belief that everyone deserved to be connected.

With that belief, Viettel Telecom did what no one had ever dared to do. They found a solution to buy equipment on installment payments to have the same number of broadcasting stations as all other carriers combined in 10 years. They deployed infrastructure simultaneously across the country to cover the whole of Vietnam in the shortest time.

In many places, Viettel Telecom signal arrives before the power grid and roads. Each signal tower is erected not only to transmit signals, but also to transmit aspirations and open up development opportunities for the most remote lands.

This process of self-imposed pressure continued to become a culture. When 3G, 4G and later 5G technology appeared, Viettel Telecom did what "almost no other network operator in the world has ever done": nationwide coverage at the time of launch, with the philosophy of "technology first, business later" and bringing connectivity to everyone, regardless of terrain, income or distance.

"Diamonds" are created from challenges

After 25 years, Viettel Telecom is in a position that many businesses dream of: the largest network, the largest customer base, the most trusted brand. They have become a sparkling "diamond" in the telecommunications industry. But the biggest risk comes from that halo.

Things that were once a source of pride, such as infrastructure or prices, are gradually becoming the norm. When connectivity is just an "invisible pipe", the real value will lie in the platforms that live on it, and Viettel Telecom faces the risk of being pushed into the role of operating the infrastructure for someone else's dream.

As mentioned about carbon particles, the magic is that it exists everywhere, but never stays in a single shape. Graphite, diamond or graphene – the super material that conducts electricity, are all just different forms of carbon after "regeneration" and transformation.

"Standing still means falling behind" - clearly aware of this, Viettel Telecom once again put itself into a new furnace, a comprehensive transformation to evolve to a higher form. They are facing the decisive moment of carbon particles: if not restructured, it will disappear; but if they are brave enough to break the old bonds, rearrange them into a new structure - thinner, more flexible, more durable - it will become graphene, the super material of the future.

Viettel Telecom transformed into Techco.

The transformation into a technology company and digital service provider (Techco) requires Viettel Telecom to change from the root, including breaking down closed departments and divisions to become a unified body where data and ideas flow seamlessly. Then, turn core competencies from network operations into leading digital products, mastering AI and future platforms.

Viettel Telecom's 25-year journey has proven that limits are temporary, but the spirit of breakthrough is eternal. As shared by Viettel Group Chairman Tao Duc Thang: "If you are satisfied with what you have and satisfied with the goals you have achieved, you will definitely not become diamonds, but only very ordinary things."

Viettel Telecom has chosen not to become ordinary. They continue to choose the difficult path, the path of pressure and transformation, because they understand that it is the only path leading to the future that they pave.

BT

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/hanh-trinh-25-nam-cua-viettel-telecom-va-triet-ly-hat-carbon-102251016201529944.htm