Telecom carriers have announced in mass media that from September 16, they will no longer support 2G Only subscribers.

Tran Duc Tin from The  GioiDi Dong, the largest mobile phone retailer in the north, said people are rushing to replace 2G-only phones with 4G push-button phones and low-cost smartphones.

Tin said sales of low-cost 4G smartphones had increased by 30 percent compared with previous months, while sales of push-button 4G phones have increased by 10-15 times.

Nguyen Ngoc Dat, CEO of Di Dong Viet, said that smartphones valued at VND2-7 million are the choice of most subscribers who want to replace their 2G phones with 4G phones. The sales in the market segment grew by 30 percent in June and July compared with May.

Nguyen Minh Khue from Viettel Store said nearly 500 Viettel Stores throughout the country are busy with a mobile phone trade-in program. Office workers have been dispatched to retail points to satisfy a 30 percent increase in demand compared with demand before the news about 2G cessation.

Huy Nguyen from CellphoneS confirmed that sales of 4G mobile phones, especially feature phones, have soared recently. The sales of push-button phones priced below VND1.5 million in early August increased by 4-5 times over the previous month. A 30-40 percent growth rate was reported for sales of products priced below VND5 million.

At CellphoneS, customers can get subsidies of VND100,000-500,000 when buying certain models from Samsung, Oppo and Xiaomi.

Nguyen The Kha from FPT Shop said the retail chain had prepared the trade-in program last year. Customers can exchange their old phones for new ones with a subsidy of up to VND600,000. This gives them the opportunity to buy a new smartphone at just VND2.49 million.

The products priced below VND3 million account for 20 percent of sales, while products priced at VND2-3 million account for 10 percent. There are many choices for customers from different brands, including Samsung, Realme, Xiaomi and Honor.

Masstel and Nokia began launching products to replace 2G phones in early 2023. Meanwhile, Samsung, Xiaomi and Realme are applying measures to encourage clients to upgrade 2G to low-cost smartphones rather than to 4G feature phones.

Le My