The Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam (MIC) has announced a national program on Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) transition for state agencies (IPv6 For Gov) during the period 2021-2025, replacing the older IPv4 protocol.

IPv6 is the Internet’s latest addressing scheme and essential for 5G adoption, e-government implementation, and massive digital transformation.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said that by 2022, half of the ministries, agencies, and localities are set to adopt IPv6 transitional plans and successfully shift towards IPv6.

A full transition is expected to be completed by 2025, with a nationwide adoption reaching 70-80 per cent.

The programme is rolled out in parallel with a plan to upgrade and modernize Vietnam’s IT systems, synchronously connect the Internet, online portals, and public service portals of state agencies to ensure information security, develop digital infrastructure, and enhance the Internet’s capacity to meet people and businesses’ demands on accessing state services via IPv6.

By December 2020, Vietnam has 11 million Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) subscribers and more than 34 million IPv6 mobile subscribers, with the IPv6 usage rate surpassing 47% (1.7 times the global average), ranked 2nd in the ASEAN region, 3rd in Asia, and 8th globally, according to the global intelligent edge platform Akamai.

The IPv6 services in Vietnam are currently provided by four telecommunication giants Viettel Group, VNPT Group, MobiFone, and FPT Telecom. The first three companies are also approved by MIC for piloting 5G commercialization in Vietnam.

With the early deployment of 5G services, Cisco predicts that Vietnam could reach roughly 6.3 million 5G subscribers by 2025 and increase the revenue of mobile service providers by about $300 million per year.

As a part of the Ministry’s strategy on the development of information and communications sector, apart from the IPv6 For Gov program, the Ministry also sets out plans to support the formation of at least three smart cities in the country in 2021, proceeding to establish a chain of smart cities in three key economic regions (Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam) with extensive 5G coverage.