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Tag: vietnamobile

  • Mobile virtual network operators hold 1% market share

    Mobile virtual network operators hold 1% market share

    With over one million subscribers, the country’s three mobile virtual network operators, who piggyback on large telecom companies, have a market share of 1%.

    iTel, Reddi and Local do not have their own infrastructure or radio frequencies and instead pay to use VinaPhone, Viettel, MobiFone, Vietnamobile, or Gtel’s.

    iTel, which depends on VinaPhone’s infrastructure and frequencies, has one million subscribers, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications.

    It reported revenues of VND442 billion ($18.4 million) this year, 4.5 times the whole of last year’s, and profits of VND28 billion.

    Reddi, which has nearly 50,000 subscribers, saw sales of VND15 billion. It had losses of VND27.8 billion and VND55.9 billion in 2020 and 2021.

    Local, which launched its services in mid-2022, focuses on providing low-cost data packages, which are preferred by young people.

    In April Digilife Vietnam Digital Services Company received a mobile virtual network operator’s license but has yet to begin offering services.

    Such companies focus on attracting customers interested in large data packages at reasonable charges such as workers, students and foreign tourists.

    Vietnam had nearly 120 million mobile phone subscribers, including some 93.7 million using smartphones, according to the ministry.

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  • Vietnamese network providers ready for 5G rollout

    Vietnamese network providers ready for 5G rollout

    Vietnamese telecom firms are seeking a head start in the 5G race as the country becomes an early adopter of the technology. State-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) recently signed a deal with Finnish telecom firm Nokia to develop 5G solutions and technology for the Internet of Things. The three-year deal is worth $15 million.

    The country’s third largest mobile service provider is seeking permission from the Ministry of Information and Communications for its Vinaphone network to beta test 5G, chairman Tran Manh Hung said at a conference last month.

    He said the test would help VNPT master the technology and prepare to produce 5G equipment, adding Vinaphone is ready to provide 5G services as soon as it gets the ministry green light.

    Military-run Viettel Group has also announced it is ready to beta test 5G next year. Its deputy director, Tao Duc Thang, said its installation of infrastructure for 4G even in remote areas allows Viettel to be ready for the new network.

    5G is said to offer speeds 100 times faster than 4G, primarily used for smartphones and other similar devices. The former is also expected to support new applications like remote medical procedures and autonomous driving.

    Thang said Viettel, the country’s largest mobile service provider, is working with partners to manufacture 5G equipment.

    “I think Vietnamese operators are ready for 5G with the existing infrastructure. When the market, equipment and users are ready, developing 5G will be possible.”

    The company, which has been working on 5G plans since 2015, will start installing infrastructure early next year and introduce the service first in big cities like Hanoi and HCMC.

    The country’s second biggest mobile service provider, MobiFone, which trailed its competitors in deploying 4G, earlier this year signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics for engineering and commercial cooperation on 4G and 5G networks.

    Vietnamobile, a joint venture between Hanoi Telecom and Hongkong-based Hutchison Asia Telecommunications, has also announced its interest in offering 5G services.

    VNPT, Viettel, MobiFone, and Vietnamobile are expected to receive 5G testing licenses in January.

    Last month Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said at a conference that Vietnam should test 5G next year and ensure nationwide coverage by 2020.

    “Vietnam should be one of the first to launch the network, at least in Hanoi and HCMC.” The country had been one of the last in Southeast Asia to roll out 4G.

    This time Vietnam would be able to produce the required equipment before it launches the network, whereas for 4G the country had to wait for eight years before being able to do so, and for 2G and 3G all the equipment had to be imported, he said.

    “5G is not only an opportunity for connection services and going up the telecommunications ladder, but also an opportunity for developing the country’s information and communications technology industry.”

    The International Telecommunication Union last year ranked Vietnam 115th out of 193 economies in terms of mobile teledensity, but Hung wants the country to have 100 percent subscription by 2020 and be among top 30-50 countries in the world in data spending per capita.

    Vietnam’s telecom market was estimated at more than $16 billion in 2016, with the three state-owned providers, Viettel, MobiFone, and VNPT, accounting for 95 percent of the market.

    Viettel had the largest share with 46.7 percent, followed by MobiFone with 26.1 percent and VNPT with 22.2 percent.

    While MobiFone and VNPT are on the list of state-owned companies slated for privatization by 2020, Viettel will remain in government hands.

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  • Vietnamobile achieves nationwide 3G coverage

    Vietnamobile achieves nationwide 3G coverage

    Vietnam’s fourth largest mobile operator Vietnamobile has announced it has achieved 90% population coverage with its 3G network following a year of heavy infrastructure investments.

    The company’s 3G network now covers all 63 cities and provinces in the country.

    When the operator first announced plans to achieve nationwide 3G coverage a year ago, its 3G network only covered 12 of these cities and provinces.

    Vietnamobile has been differentiating itself from its larger rivals by focusing on the needs of Vietnamese youth across the nation.

    To celebrate the milestone, Vietnobile is introducing two new data packages for young customers, including a pay-as-you-go data pla starting at 1Gbps  for 15,000 dong ($0.66), upgradeable to 5GB.

    Meanwhile the second plan will offer 1GB of data per day for 50,000 dong per month, subject to a cap of 30GB per month.

    Vietnamobile is also introducing a dedicated iOS and Android app to help customers monitor and manage their accounts.

    Vietnamobile launched in 2009 as a joint venture between Hanoi Telecom Joint Stock Company and Hutchison Asia Telecommunications Group (formerly Hutchison Telecommunications International). The company has historically faced challenges competing with its more established rivals due to a spectrum shortfall.

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