Due
to inefficiencies related to the country's 3G mobile service providers, the
licence for the more modern 4G service will be put on hold until around 2018,
experts have said.
This was one of the leading issues discussed
at a recent conference on the national telecommunications development plan by
2020, held by the Ministry of Information and Communications in Ha Noi.
After three years developing the 3G service,
Vietnam has more than 12.8 million subscribers, across four providers, namely
VinaPhone, MobiFone, Viettel and Vietnamobile.
While the nearly-13 million subscribers
appears positive, the quality of the service is still poor, and revenues have
remained below expectations. To stimulate demand, providers have launched
increasingly inexpensive packages to attract new subscribers and entice current
subscribers to upgrade to the 3G service.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Hung said one of the
bottlenecks restricting 3G development was that content suppliers - such as
mobile TV, online music and online payment companies - for 3G services were not
encouraged to participate.
This under-stimulation of 3G services has been
named one of the main reasons the service has not picked up. Consumers are also
spending less as the nation's economic situation has stagnated.
Customers employing 3G services have mainly
used the service to surf the web, and awareness of 3G service remains poor,
according to a recent survey on customer satisfaction with 3G services,
conducted by the Vietnam Post Newspaper.
At the meeting, Nguyen Minh Tuan, Deputy
Director of the Institute on Information and Communications Strategy, said it
was necessary to enhance 3G services and broadband internet services throughout
the country.
Last May, Viettel tested 4G mobile technology
but decided not to pursue it.
Minister of Information and Communications
Nguyen Bac Son said time was needed for enterprises to recoup investment
capital from 3G technology, and that the ministry might consider 4G technology
licensing by 2018.
Son also emphasised that the State should
consider applying 4G technology at an appropriate time to ensure pace-keeping
with regional countries.
Vietnam News
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