Vietnamese mobile phone market flourishes

Viet Nam’s mobile phone market witnessed a quarterly growth rate of 43 per cent in the third quarter of 2011, despite the country’s growing inflation.

A market survey conducted by the International Data Company shows sales of smart phones and popular phones increased by 48 per cent and 42 per cent over the past three months, respectively. Nokia retained its leading position in the market, but Samsung emerged as the number-one seller in terms of smart phones. The military-run mobile phone service operator Viettel posted surprise growth in the segment of Vietnamese-brand mobile phones thanks to models V6102 and V6202.

Vietnamobile upgrades 3G plans at same price

Vietnamobile has announced new 3G tariff plans offering new services for customers. This marks a new stage in Vietnamobile’s development in a bid to provide customers the opportunity to interchangeably use either the network operator’s higher quality 2G or 3G services without paying more.

With a 3G connection speed of up to 21.6Mbps, Vietnamobile offers the fastest 3G data speed in the country. Vietnamobile will focus on developing 3G in major cities with a target of 94 per cent coverage in HCM City, Da Nang and Ha Noi.

Elizabete Fong, Vietnamobile CEO said: “We aim to make quality telecommunication services affordable to everyone. Vietnamobile was launched in 2009 with the best voice rate and now we’ve made 3G available to our customers with the same principle. Our customers can enjoy both 2G and 3G seamlessly at the same price, same charging principles but at the fastest data speed in Viet Nam.”

VNPT, Marine Police to protect telecom cables

Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the Viet Nam Marine Police have signed a co-operative agreement to supervise and protect submarine telecommunications cables including the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) and SMW3 which is responsible for internet and telephone communications between Asia and Europe in waters around Viet Nam. Under the agreement, both sides will work together to protect the AAG and SMW3 which link into the national network in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and central Da Nang City.

Viettel offers unlimited internet download service

Viettel Telecoms company has started to supply a package of unlimited internet downloads for both pre-paid and post-paid mobile subscribers.

Under the package, with a VND40,000 monthly subscription fee, subscribers can access the internet on their mobile phones without any data limits. Specifically, customers who register for this package will be allowed to use 500MB of data at the highest speed of 8/2Mbps, after finishing 500MB, customers still be allowed to access the internet with unlimited traffic at a lower speed.

Mobifone provides new BlackBerry packages

MobiFone has officially announced the price package of BlackBerry services, while introducing more packages for individual customers.

Under the price package, two Standard and Pro packages for business customers, and three basic packages - Basic, Social and Chat Month for individual customers. MobiFone has also introduced six other packages: Basic Plus, Entry, Social Week, Chat Week, Advance and Advance Plus with a view to offering more choices for customers. The BlackBerry service provided by MobiFone was officially available from October 17, 2011 in order to help customers take advantage of global mobile communications solutions like Push mail, BB Messenger, society network and a range of support facilities for business and entertainment from the application store of RIM (Research In Motion).

VECOM reviews its online shopping experience

Viet Nam e-Commerce Association (VECOM) conducted a seminar this week to review its on-line shopping website TuanMuaSamTrucTuyen.vn after it was launched between 14-27 November this year.

Chairman of VECOM Le Danh Vinh said the website aimed to enhance the awareness and skill of online shopping for consumers and to promote the image of domestic business while contributing to promote e-commerce development in Viet Nam. To make e-commerce businesses more popular, all consumers should know more about the benefits and risks of online transaction, he said.

Ericsson to develop domestic software facility

Deputy Director of research and development for Ericsson Gunnar Heldebro said the company planned to establish an Ericsson software centre in Viet Nam.

According to Heldebro, Viet Nam’s skilled human resources, social infrastructure and the industrial ecology system had made the country into an attractive destination for foreign investors. With the expansion of the software business in Viet Nam, he said Ericsson wanted to study the potential of an ICT human resource development and market demand as well as Government policy on software development and Viet Nam’s software industry.