VietNamNet Bridge – The telecom market’s underlying trends are coming into sharp focus.

An annual survey by global market research firm Nielsen and Buu Dien newspaper about 3G users’ satisfaction in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City in 2012 showed that service users hiked five-fold last year, but there was a sharp decline in the rate of people satisfied about service quality.

The survey also showed that customers were generally satisfied with frequency coverage breadth, but unhappy with service providers’ transmission speed.

In this respect, VinaPhone deputy director Ho Duc Thang said users reported increased demands and transmission involving not only the loading of simple text, but also video trails or games which requires bandwidth usage. This explained why many users were upset at transmission speeds.

Viettel Telecom strategic deputy director Nguyen Viet Dung said the five-fold increase in 3G users in 2012 represented big challenges to network operators.

“When 3G has become an indispensable part in people’s daily life, users’ experiences would be increasingly demanding. Certain limitations which had existed for years now have a chance for exposure on the back of sharply rising number of 3G users,” Dung noted.

US-based Qualcomm regional chief Thieu Phuong Nam assumed 3G services development in Vietnam was in tune with what’s seen in other developing countries.

“From now until 2016, 3G development will leap up at a pace of 226 per cent for ASEAN member countries. At that time there will be four billion 3G users globally instead of current two billion. ASEAN bloc alone will host nearly 500 million 3G users,” Nam said.

Besides, network data would hike 1,000 times, requiring network operators to ramp up technology investments to become up to par, Nam said.

Deputy minister of Information and Communications Le Nam Thang acknowledged that 3G booming development in Vietnam had brought development opportunities to service providers and terminal equipment manufacturers and bettering the service quality and considering network conversion possibility would be major challenges in the coming time.

“4G will be the way we go in technology, but there needs to be a suitable roadmap. Local firms have deployed 3G services for around three years, so it would need some more time to ensure infrastructure usage efficiency,” said Thang, adding that in light of the national telecom development planning Vietnam would consider granting 4G licences after 2015.

Nam agreed 2015 would be the right time for 4G services roll-up in Vietnam since by that time the cost of terminal equipment will be less costly to fit the budget of most consumers.

Source: VIR