The battle among local telecommunications providers has gone beyond telecom services and expanded to non-core businesses such as medicine, tourism and electricity.

A customer talks to VNPT staff. Telecommucation providers like VNPT have expanded into non-core business sectors such as medicine and tourism.  

Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), which already has an advantage as a telecom, information and technology provider, soon noticed the saturation of mobile phone market.

VNPT and the Ministry of Health signed a co-operative agreement in 2009. VNPT would provide the Ministry of Health a high-speed transmission line to serve national key projects and remote health consultants, examinations and treatment (Telemedicine), public internet, administrative reforms, business and online licencing.

VNPT also provided some services through internet infrastructure such as Video Conference and MEGA VNN for hospitals and medical schools across the country.

In 2012, the corporation and the Ministry of Health signed another comprehensive co-operative agreement, which aimed to uphold results achieved in 2009.

Viettel Telecoms Corporation, which has more than 54 million mobile phone subscribers, also provides services in the health sector.

Viettel and Viet Nam Social Insurance built a system serving assessment and health insurance payments in December 2014.

Apart from the health sector, Viettel also joined hands with the electricity sector in collecting electricity meter data based on telecom infrastructure.

Viettel's 3G/GPRS modems have electronic meters that read data online in 24 hours and transmit it to host computers.

The service is being piloted in Ha Noi and HCM City, but is expected to be used nationwide soon.

Viettel also provided e-Manifest, a system that raises efficiency by conveying freight information to customs officials before shipments arrive at the border.

Nguyen Manh Hung, general director of Viettel, said that Viettel would be the first enterprise in Viet Nam to apply the "3-in-1" combination of information and technology, telecommunication and smart devices, Dau tu (Investment) newspaper reported.

Also, MobiFone and the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) launched the tourism website Halo Vietnam (www.halovietnam.vn) last month.

With the portal, the companies will support each other in their efforts to boost tourism and customer service in Viet Nam. It will allow visitors to assess tourism destinations and give feedback on Viet Nam's tourism environment in order to improve the two companies' service quality.

Customers will be able to book and register tourism services online through Halo Vietnam soon.

MobiFone, established in 1993, provides services for more than 40 million subscribers in Viet Nam. 

VNS