Vietnam's VinaPhone has been testing DC-HSDPA technology, and plans to implement the upgrade nationwide by early next year.
The state-owned operator said it has become Vietnam's first operator to successfully test DC-HSPA transmissions over its 3G network.
DC-HSPA has a maximum theoretical speed of 42Mbp, which VinaPhone said was six times higher than Vietnam's current 3G speeds.
VinaPhone has so far implemented the upgrade at some base stations in the major cities of Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh. The company hopes to complete the upgrade for all its 13,000 3G base stations by early 2015.
The statement adds that “VinaPhone is now cooperating with device providers to try to increase 3G speed to 84 Mbps to continue affirming its position as the mobile network having the fastest 3G speed so far.”
VinaPhone has progressively been increasing its investments in 3G and value added services as its voice and SMS revenue growth slows.
In April, Vietnam's prime minister approved a proposal by VinaPhone parent VNPT to spin off its mobile unit MobiFone into a separate, privatized entity.