To strengthen the effectiveness of state management and create a breakthrough for digital infrastructure, the Hai Phong City People's Committee has issued Decision No. 40/2026/QD-UBND, enacting the Regulation on the Management and Development of Telecommunications Infrastructure in the city. This document takes effect on June 15, 2026, replacing old regulations from 2015 and 2020 to meet practical development requirements. This is a vital step toward synchronizing telecommunications infrastructure with urban planning, ensuring safety and aesthetics, and promoting sustainable socio-economic growth.
Scope and Principles of Infrastructure Development
The new regulation covers all activities from management, investment, and construction to the shared use and development of telecommunications infrastructure within the city. The subjects of application include all agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in activities related to telecommunications infrastructure in Hai Phong.
Passive telecommunications infrastructure is defined to include houses, stations, antenna masts, cable poles, manholes, tanks, cable pipes, trenches, and technical tunnels. The core principle of the regulation is that the City People's Committee unifiedly manages and assigns specific tasks to specialized agencies and commune-level authorities with clear decentralization and delegation of power to avoid overlap.
Infrastructure development must ensure unity, synchronization, publicity, and transparency, maximizing the encouragement of shared infrastructure use among enterprises to save resources and protect the environment. In particular, telecommunications infrastructure must be closely linked with urban planning, industrial zones, economic zones, and the city's marine economy development orientation.
Assignment of Responsibilities and Implementation Mechanisms
To put the regulation into practice, the city has assigned specific tasks to various departments and localities:
- Department of Science and Technology: Assigned the role of presiding and coordinating with relevant parties to monitor, urge, and inspect the implementation of the Regulation. The Department is responsible for summarizing difficulties and obstacles to report to the City People's Committee for appropriate adjustments; it also presides over the approval of annual plans for urban renovation and the undergrounding of peripheral networks. Additionally, the Department leads the organization of training classes, professional guidance, and inspections to handle violations regarding the construction and installation of telecommunications infrastructure.
- Department of Construction: Leads the integration of passive telecommunications infrastructure development orientations into the city’s general planning and specialized construction plans. Simultaneously, the Department coordinates the appraisal and submission of rental price plans for technical infrastructure works invested from the state budget to the City People's Committee.
- Department of Industry and Trade: Directs the Hai Phong Power Company to coordinate the shared use of the electric pole system for hanging cables and implementing undergrounding plans to ensure urban aesthetics and power grid safety.
- Department of Finance: Coordinates the guidance of support policies and investment incentives for organizations and individuals involved in building shared telecommunications works.
- City Police: Presides over ensuring network security and safety, promptly preventing and handling acts of sabotage or those hindering the development of telecommunications infrastructure.
- Hai Phong Economic Zone Authority: Creates favorable conditions for enterprises to invest in, develop infrastructure for, and provide telecommunications services within industrial zones, economic zones, and free trade zones.
- Commune-level People's Committees: Responsible for supporting land procedures and site clearance; they also inspect, monitor, and handle local violations. The grassroots level also plays an important role in propagating and mobilizing people to support infrastructure development projects.
Requirements for Enterprises and Technical Standards
The regulation sets strict requirements for telecommunications enterprises. Enterprises must establish 5-year and annual infrastructure development plans and submit them to the Department of Science and Technology for consolidation. Before commencing construction, enterprises must notify local authorities and management agencies to ensure construction safety and infrastructure synchronization.
Regarding technical standards, new BTS stations built on the ground in urban areas are encouraged to use non-bulky antenna masts or camouflaged antenna masts to ensure aesthetics. For high-rise buildings and new urban areas, developers are mandatory to arrange installation locations for equipment and cable systems that meet the capacity for shared use by at least two telecommunications enterprises.
The regulation also requires enterprises to handle incidents quickly: within 24 hours for BTS stations and within 12 hours for cable transmission systems from the time of discovery or notification. The shared use of underground infrastructure in central urban areas and along main roads is a mandatory requirement to move toward eliminating the "spider web" of overhead cables.
The issuance of Decision No. 40/2026/QD-UBND not only perfects the legal framework for telecommunications but also reflects the spirit of a "Constructive Government" in Hai Phong. With decisive task assignments and clear technical standards, the city is building a solid foundation for smart urban development, ready for future technologies such as 5G, 6G, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications to serve the lives of its citizens.