Despite 4G service being launched 1-1/2 years ago, users have yet to experience what 4G is supposed to offer, with its speed still far slower than expected.

The limited bandwidth and the small number of subscribers are the major hindrances to 4G, said the director of the Authority of Radio Frequency Management under the Ministry of Information and Communications at an international conference on 4G/5G last week.

Doan Quang Hoan said the ministry’s plan to put the 2.6MHz frequency up for auction for mobile carriers interested in 4G has been compromised by changes in the law on auction of public assets.

Data of the organizing committee of the conference showed that in 2017 the average download speed of 4G in Vietnam was 35-37 Mb/s, 3.5-4.5 times faster than the average speed of 3G. According to the International Telecommunication Union, 4G should be 10 times faster than 3G.

On the sidelines of the conference, Jim Cathey, senior vice president and president for Asia Pacific and India at Qualcomm Technologies, told the Daily that the Vietnamese Government should license 4G service providers to use the 2.6GHz frequency soon. Mobile carriers should develop their networks, Cathey added.

Cathey praised the expansion of 4G service, saying that within 18 months, the coverage of 4G can reach 95% of the population.

Thieu Phuong Nam, director of Qualcomm in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, said 4G will be further expanded in the near future as the number of subscribers would rise to 10 million in the country.

To prep for the fifth generation system (5G), Nam recommended the Government deploy 5G which is used for smart cars, smart healthcare equipment and smart houses in 2020.

Qualcomm said 5G has a super fast speed.

SGT