Unitel is the largest provider of digital telecom services in Laos and one of the biggest contributors to the Lao economy. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

Wearing elegant clothes, a high bun, and light makeup, Hongphachanh Phoumminh, the owner of a store called Madam, is doing a livestream, her familiar daily work. Her online sales sessions have attracted hundreds of customers thanks to stable internet connection.

She said, “Online selling and shopping are becoming more and more popular. To keep up with the development of e-commerce, we decided to engage in online sales.”

“In the past, customers had to go directly to the store to buy products. Now they can find what they like online, order conveniently, and even bargain. Using Star Telecom's Unitel network has increased my sales turnover and diversified my customer base,” said Hongphachanh Phoumminh.

58% of consumers in Laos use Unitel, the nation’s leading telecom brand and a joint venture between Viettel Telecom Corporation and Laos Asia Telecom.

In 2009, the brand entered the Lao market as a network operator with the smallest market share. At that time, Laos already had three major network providers – ETL, LTC, and Beeline – which had been operating for more than a decade.

But only two years later, Unitel had gained local users’ trust and it now has more users than any other brand.

62-year-old Phet Xaysongkham, a Vientiane resident, said Unitel offers a variety of packages at a reasonable cost, which users like him are willing to pay to use Unitel's high-speed network for communications, entertainment, and trading.

“After retiring, I opened a grocery store in my home where I also sell phone cards. Unitel phone cards are popular now. Many people, including my family, use the Unitel network because it’s fast, reliable, and rarely overloaded. It enables me to talk to relatives and friends in remote areas with poor signal quality,” Phet recalled.

General Chansamone Chanyalath, Laos’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense (Photo: quochoi.vn)

Unitel has a 57% market share thanks to its extensive infrastructure covering every commune. Laos’s fiber optic density is 6.6 times higher than the world average. Laos has become one of the countries with the highest proportion of people with access to 4G and high-speed Internet in Southeast Asia.

As a pioneer digital service provider, Unitel is a strategic partner of the Lao Government in deploying e-Government systems like the Lao font system, online learning and testing, citizen registration management, and electronic payments. The U-money e-wallet has made electronic payment services convenient and safe for users in both urban and rural areas.

Unitel has generated 27,000 jobs, more than any other enterprise in Laos, contributing to social security.

General Chansamone Chanyalath, Laos’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, applauded applaud Unitel’s performance in Laos because of its economic success and social benefit.

“Unitel has helped to strengthen the traditional relationship between Vietnam and Laos,” said General Chansamone Chanyalath.

Unitel aims to become the largest economic group in Laos in 2025. Its business strategy has made Unitel, which used to be the smallest network operator in Laos, the telecommunications market leader, while simultaneously building the Vietnamese brand and enhancing Vietnam’s place in the global value chain.