Vietnam sees 3G-service boom

Mobile network operators all say internet access from mobile devices are booming in Vietnam, and becoming popular, according to an article published on the English language news portal VietNamNet Bridge.

Mobile network operators all say internet access from mobile devices are booming in Vietnam (Photo: thesaigontimes)

Nguyen Dang Nguyen, Deputy General Director of MobiFone, one of the three largest mobile networks in Vietnam, was quoted as saying that the network had seen a 50 percent increase in 3G traffic since the end of 2013, and the number of 3G subscribers had increased rapidly.

Ngo Manh Hung, Deputy General Director of Viettel Telecom, said the number of subscribers using data services had reached 9 million by the end of July.

VinaPhone has also reported a sharp increase in the number of 3G subscribers and 3G traffic, noting that 2G services have been on the decrease.

A report of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) showed that there were about 20 million 3G subscribers, and that there is a high demand for data instead of voice services.

Retailers reported that the sale of smartphones have exceeded other kind of mobile phones since 2012, contributing to the rising use of 3G services.

Viettel, the military telco, has recently joined hands with Qualcomm to implement a cooperation project to make low-cost smartphones for Vietnamese users, a part of the programme to increase the use of 3G services.

According to the article, the representatives of the largest networks, such as MobiFone, VinaPhone and Viettel, have confirmed they began to provide data services automatically to all users, after they discovered that demand for 3G services was very high.

As a result, smartphone users do not have to register to use data services, because the services are integrated in sim cards.

Network operators recently announced that the 3G speed had increased by six times to 42Mbps.

(Source: VNA)