VNPT-VinaPhone officially launched 4G services on the 1800MHz band at a ceremony in Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang province on November 3, becoming the first 4G services provider in Vietnam.

Phu Quoc has also become the first locality in Vietnam to be fully covered with one hundred 4G base transceiver stations (BTS).

VNPT-VinaPhone is planning to widely provide 4G services in 2017 with 21,000 BTS to be installed nationwide.

A company official said the average speed of 4G was 7-10 times faster than 3G.

Subscribers can use the 4G services for the same, or in some circumstances even lower, price as 3G for services such as mobile TV, mobile broadcast and cloud video conferencing.

Previously, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan signed licences granted to the military-run Viettel Group and the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT) to set up public telecommunication networks and provide 4G services.

4G refers to the fourth generation of mobile data transmitting technology, which offers speeds of up to 1.5 gigabits per second, several hundred times faster than 3G.

Vietnamese network providers have launched 4G pilot programmes following a rapid increase in the number of subscribers.

VNPT-VinaPhone began commercial testing of 4G mobile internet services in Phu Quoc Island and Ho Chi Minh City on January 18.

Nhan Dan