VietNamNet Bridge – Experts believe that 2011 will be the right time for telecom service providers to apply new policies that aim for sustainable development instead of network expansion. Meanwhile, policy makers will apply necessary measures to tightly control the telecom market.

 

Mobile service providers urged to apply new customer-care policies

 

Since the beginning of 2011, mobile service providers have continuously launched big promotion campaigns in order to attract more clients. From January 25 to January 28, 2011, VinaPhone will launch the “four golden days” program applied to both post-paid and pre-paid subscribers. Under the program, the clients, who activate new phone cards on these days, will be rewarded bonuses equal to the cards’ value. VinaPhone’s promotion campaign is being carried out after a similar 4-day promotional campaign by MobiFone, another service provider. Prior to that, VinaPhone also offered “golden days” two times.

 

Mobile service providers said that they continuously carry out promotion programs in an effort to ease burdens on their clients. On the days just before Tet, the prices of all kinds of goods are increasing sharply, while mobile phone charges tend to decrease.

 

A noteworthy fact is that the promotion campaigns all aim to “take care” of pre-paid subscribers. It is clear that pre-paid subscribers always get more preferences than post-paid subscribers. Explaining this, mobile service providers said that more than 90 percent of their subscribers are pre-paid subscribers, therefore, they need to offer more promotions to these clients.

 

Nevertheless, experts say that the current situation will change in 2011. Both the Ministry of Information and Communication and enterprises have drawn up the plan to build up specific policies to address post-paid subscribers this year, because it is post-paid subscribers who bring the largest profits to enterprises.

 

Besides, experts also believe that mobile service providers should not try to attract more subscribers by lowering charges any more. They need to persuade clients by offering high quality services.

 

There are about 150 million mobile phone subscribers in Vietnam.

 

Government  suggests tightened control over pre-paid subscribers

 

InDispatch No 169 released by the Government’s Office several days ago, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan requested relevant ministries to quickly apply necessary measures to tighten control over pre-paid subscribers.

 

 

The Deputy Prime Minister has asked the Ministry of Public Security to urgently develop the electronic database of identity cards, and cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communication and telecom firms to discuss the solution to exploit the database for pre-paid subscriber management.

 

In fact, the project on pre-paid subscriber control under which telecom companies have build up their systems on subscriber management was undertaken two years ago,  One hundred percent of pre-paid subscribers have to register personal information with the companies. However, there are still doubts about the accuracy of the information.

 

Ministry promulgated new policy on international calling charges

 

Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Le Nam Thang has said that in January 2011, the ministry will release a legal document on  international calling charges, a move that aims to ensure the business efficiency of telecom companies.

 

Thang said that the legal document will stipulate that the international calling charges must be defined based on production costs. Currently, as telecom companies are fiercely competing with each other, they have to lower calling charges, which threatens the sustainable development of telecom enterprises.

 

For example, VTI, the leading international telecom service provider in Vietnam has also said that the high output of international calls does not mean high profits, because the charges are too low.

 

C. V