From ISP to CSP: The 15-year journey of CMC Telecom

After 15 years of establishment, CMC Telecom is gradually affirming its position as a leading converged service provider in Vietnam, escaping the shadow of a successful Internet service provider for enterprises.

Established in 2008, CMC Telecommunication Infrastructure Corporation (CMC Telecom) is known as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Vietnam that focuses on serving high-end corporate clients who need stable, high-quality connectivity and professional services. 

From an ISP, the company has gradually transformed into a Converged Service Provider (CSP) with an ecosystem of Telecommunications and Information Technology products to serve both domestic and regional customers. The unusual business model to meet the market needs in a comprehensive digital transformation period has brought new achievements to CMC Telecom, leading it to a new era after more than a decade of foundation. 

From an ISP, CMC Telecom switched to CSP model in 2017

Boldly converting to CSP

The concept of Converged Service Provider (CSP) is new even to the world. But, in Vietnam, there is a company that has been a pioneer on this path for many years: CMC Telecom. Instead of having to use services from different providers, CMC Telecom is the choice for enterprises to deploy ICT services with the most comprehensive, integrated and effective solutions.

Once known as a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Vietnam, with the support from Time DotCOM - a telecommunications "giant" in Southeast Asia, CMC Telecom's infrastructure strength is demonstrated through its Cross Vietnam Cable System (CVCS), which is connected to the land cable system of Southeast Asia (A-Grid) as well as four submarine cable systems (APG, AAE-1, UNITY and FASTER) to reach to the world. 

Knowledge of the international market from its partners and experience in serving the most demanding clients in Vietnam helped CMC Telecom quickly gain a head start in Industry 4.0. Faced with the urgent need for digital transformation, enterprises not only require infrastructure for connection and storage, but also a series of services for IT management and cybersecurity.  

2017 - the year in which CMC Telecom was honored as one of the five most influential ISP in the development of the Internet in Vietnam over a decade was also when the company decided to transform itself, following the realization that converged services are an inevitable trend. Thus, the first converged telecommunications and information technology service ecosystem - and with it, the first CSP - has been founded in Vietnam. 

Despite the scale of a young telecommunication service provider, CMC Telecom dared to make huge investments of hundreds of billions in Cloud infrastructure, and trillions in Data Center. 

The first step of this CSP is a Make-in-Vietnam cloud computing platform , which CMC Telecom pioneered to develop. CMC Cloud demonstrates the company's determination to gather and store data on a Vietnamese cloud platform to meet the needs of Vietnamese enterprises at that time. 

From the success of its self-developed Cloud platform, in the following years, the company was repeatedly selected by cloud giants such as AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft when they came to Vietnam. World-class data centers are also gradually being constructed, of which Tan Thuan DC was honored as the most modern and secure data center in Vietnam in 2022 - the same year of its establishment. 

The success in the field of infrastructure not only brings experience, customers and strong revenue growth to CMC Telecom, but also helps the company build a team of technology experts who possess experience and international certificates. From here, this CPS has taken a new direction to develop and upgrade itself, which is providing information technology and security services in parallel with infrastructure services. This is also the core value that CMC Telecom imbues with its new service department on the way to becoming the number one CSP in Vietnam. 

In the instructions regarding digital transformation, Ministry of Information and Communications affirmed that digital infrastructure is the infrastructure combining broadband telecommunications, cloud computing, Internet of Things, technology supply and digital platforms. This definition proves that the CMC Telecom made the right decision to switch from an ISP to a CPS of CMC Telecom early. 

"Just by making their selections from the ecosystem of CMC Telecom, enterprises can use a full range of services, from connectivity infrastructure, data center and cloud computing to IT Outsourcing and security, which are provided by the leading experts in these fields ", said Mr. Dang Tung Son, Deputy CEO/CSO and CMO of CMC Telecom. 

 

Mr. Dang Tung Son - Deputy CEO/CSO and CMO of CMC Telecom affirms

"Sweet success" of leading the digital infrastructure market after 15 years of development
 
 
"Ministry of Information and Communications highly appreciates CMC for pioneering in building world-class digital infrastructure" - Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said at the inauguration ceremony of Tan Thuan Data Center in August last year. 

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the inauguration ceremony of Tan Thuan Data Center in August 2022

Previously, in July 2019, CMC CMC Corporation signed a strategic cooperation contract with Samsung SDS, including cooperation in the area of strength of CMC Telecom. These results have confirmed that CMC Telecom is not limited to a connectivity infrastructure provider, but has grown into a telecommunications and information technology ecosystem. 

Currently, CMC Cloud is the leading domestic cloud service in Vietnam, holding more than 25% of market shares by mid-2023. CMC Telecom is the only telecommunications company that is currently offering "Make in Vietnam" cloud service in parallel with the cloud services of AWS, Google, Microsoft and Oracle. With the advantage of owning telecommunications infrastructure, CMC Telecom provides direct connection to international Clouds through AWS Direct Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, Microsoft Express Route and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect; at the same time, these activities are managed on a single platform, CMC Multi Cloud. 

 

As of mid-2023, statistics show that CMC Telecom is leading the Digital Infrastructure market, as its services are being used by 100% of banks in Vietnam - considered as the most fastidious and demanding clients. In addition, more than 50% of enterprises in the top 100 global brands of Forbes are also using services of this Vietnamese provider. 

Among its three data centers, the newly-opened Tan Thuan DC has become the first DC in Vietnam to possess Uptime Tier III certifications for both Design and Construction. In addition to investing in facilities, the company also pays attention to improving the professional qualification of its experts and engineers with international certifications, ready for the goal of becoming the Digital Hub of Vietnam. 

Awards such as: Top 10 Digital Infrastructure Solution Providers in Asia Pacific in 2022 by APAC CIO Outlook, Most Innovative Cloud Service Provider in 2020 by IFM, Top 10 Digital Infrastructure Solutions Companies of Asia-Pacific region in 2022 by APAC CIO Outlook are testaments to the success of CMC Telecom in its transition from an ISP to a CSP. 

“This is the result of a long preparation and a sound investment strategy. CMC Telecom is determined to become the best digital transformation service provider in Vietnam, providing customers with services of the highest quality and standards. That strategy will lead to positive actions to shift from a telecommunications company to a leading technology company, changing its brand identity", said Mr. Dang Tung Son - Deputy CEO/CSO and CMO of CMC Telecom