2G will be turned off by September next year. (Photo: baodautu.vn) The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) said that 2Gwill be turned off by September next year. Frequency licences issued tocarriers deploying 2G will expire by that time.
A seminar on turning off 2G signals to bring people to the digitalenvironment was held on December 5.
Nguyen Phong Nha, Deputy Director of MIC’s VietnamTelecommunications Authority, said that the ministry is oriented to start 6Gtechnology by 2030.
Therefore, 2G technology phones would no longer be used, importedand circulated on the market, said Nha.
Statistics from network operators reported that currently thecountry has about 15 million 2G subscribers.
MIC has issued a regulation prohibiting the import of 2G devicessince 2020. Current devices imported into the Vietnamese market are throughunofficial channels.
Thus, 2G devices in Vietnam are at the end of their usage cycle.When the device breaks down, it will be replaced by the users.
To prepare for the roadmap, mobile telecommunications carriers arecurrently developing policies to support users when 2G signals are stopped,focusing on two main supports for terminal support devices andtelecommunications charges, so that customers can proactively switch to usingsmartphones.
Currently, some major network operators have turned off 2G and 3Gsignals in areas with low demand for this service.
In addition, network operators have also prepared cheap 4G phonesat only about 300,000 VND (12.5 USD) for voice and texting services to serve asmall class of customers who only need these features.
Nguyen Trong Tinh, Deputy General Director of Viettel Telecom,said that Viettel was the first network operator to successfully convert all 3Gsubscribers to 4G, leaving only about 0.2% of customers using 3G.
Discontinuing old technologies to focus resources on newtechnologies would bring great economic benefits and resources totelecommunications businesses, he said.
However, Viettel Telecom representative said that the rate of 2Gsubscribers in Vietnam was still generally high compared to other countries inthe region and developed countries with approximately 16 per cent ofsubscribers still using 2G only.
To implement the above policy, Tinh said that Viettel Telecomwould support customers with charges, bringing 4G service prices to very lowprices, approaching and even lower than current 2G services to suit the needsof customer payment.
Regarding terminal devices, Viettel has supported 50% of thedevice price for 2G customers switching to 4G for the past two years.
"We cooperate with phone manufacturers to support customersin accessing smartphones at cheap prices of only about 60-70% for onephone."
With 4G phones with voice and texting services features, Viettelsupports the purchase cost of up to 50% depending on each customer.
These phones are distributed by Viettel at the lowest price of 290,000VND.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Quoc Khanh, deputy head of the technologydepartment of VNPT Group, pledged that the business would give awaysmartphones, subsidise phone prices, and deploy attractive packages forcustomers using 2G living in remote areas and islands to help people convert to4G technology./.
VNA
