Viettel is expanding the capacity of Vietnam’s optical network through advanced technology from Ciena, aiming to strengthen its position as a preferred partner for global hyperscalers entering the country. The network upgrade, powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) and tested with WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e), marks a major step in meeting the fast-growing demand for high-speed connectivity and supporting Viettel’s 5G rollout.
Expanding high-speed connectivity across Vietnam
The expansion uses Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform with WL5e 800G coherent optics to dramatically increase the capacity and performance of Viettel’s optical backbone. By introducing highly programmable 600 Gb/s wavelengths capable of travelling over 1,000 kilometres, the network now offers much greater bandwidth and efficiency. The upgrade, deployed by technology partner Elcom, has increased Viettel’s backbone capacity more than sixfold, from 4 Tb/s to 25.2 Tb/s. This significant boost enables faster data transmission, improved space and power efficiency, and stronger support for emerging digital applications.
Viettel has also integrated Ciena’s Navigator Network Control Suite, which provides automated network management and simplifies operations across the system’s lifecycle. This automation is expected to improve reliability, reduce manual workloads, and enhance overall performance.
Preparing for future data growth
The company anticipates sharp growth in both domestic and international data traffic as demand rises for cloud services, artificial intelligence-driven applications, and digital content. Viettel selected Ciena largely for its expertise in Layer 0 control plane technology, which helps improve network resilience and adaptability.
Viettel recently reached a new milestone by achieving 1.6 Tb/s on a single optical channel using Ciena’s next-generation WL6e technology. This trial effectively doubled the existing wavelength capacity from 800 Gb/s to 1.6 Tb/s and positions WL6e as a future-ready upgrade path to meet increasing bandwidth requirements. Once fully adopted, Viettel will be able to offer ultra-high-speed services, including 800GbE connectivity, to meet the needs of enterprises, cloud providers, and other large-scale digital users.
Supporting Vietnam’s digital economy
The partnership between Viettel and Ciena is set to play an important role in advancing Vietnam’s status as one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic digital economies. Reliable, high-capacity infrastructure is critical for driving cloud adoption, enabling advanced 5G use cases, and supporting the growth of AI-driven industries.
“Optical backbones are critical to providing the connectivity needed to continue Vietnam’s reputation as a fast-growing digital economy in Southeast Asia,” said Wendy Le, Country Lead, Vietnam, Ciena. “Together with Viettel, Ciena is helping build the connectivity foundation essential to help Vietnam maintain its pace of growth in the AI era, all while optimising carbon footprint, power, and capacity.”
As Vietnam accelerates its digital transformation, Viettel’s upgraded network positions the company to handle future data surges while supporting enterprises and service providers looking to scale operations across the region.
