Some countries are calling for the internet to be brought under the
control of the UN International Telecommunications Regulations, but experts
warn that a more tightly regulated regime could have a significant and
detrimental impact on Asian countries, including Vietnam.
The 2012 World Conference on
International Telecommunications (WCIT), to be held in Dubai on December 3-14,
is slated to discuss the future of internet regulation, and Vietnam will
participate in this event.
According to the chair of the ad
hoc WCIT working group, Ambassador David A. Gross, increased regulation of the
internet should be troubling to both governments and the private sector since
it would threaten the innovation and commercial flexibility that has allowed
the telecommunications sector to flourish in such countries as Vietnam,
Indonesia and Singapore.
"Increased regulation
threatens successes that liberalisation and competition have enjoyed in recent
years [and] could have adverse impacts on commercial businesses involved in
international telecommunications and slow the dramatic growth of ICT revenue
and e-commerce in developing nations," Gross said in Bangkok.
According to Ministry of
Information and Communications, internet penetration in Vietnam now reaches 30
million people, representing a third of the country's population. Internet use
in Vietnam has recorded the most rapid growth in Asia, with an average annual
rate of 20 per cent from 2000 to 2010.
Meanwhile, while e-commerce
currently accounts for just 2.5 per cent of national GDP, online payment
transactions are estimated to reach US$6 billion by 2015.
The Vietnamese Government is
currently drafting a new decree on the management of internet services and
electronic information on the internet, which would replace Decree No
97/2008/ND-CP of August 2008.
The draft decree would require
foreign internet service providers to set up primary servers and representative
offices in Vietnam, or appoint a Vietnamese individual or institution to
represent them. It would require internet users to use their real names when
using services and would include other regulations on internet content.
The draft has attracted opposing
viewpoints from the public and the business community, but Government officials
have said that the new decree would be necessary to keep up with the internet's
rapid development in Vietnam and to help stabilise the socio-economic
situation.
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