Providers to raise 3G fees

October 17, 2013 | 11:12

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After several delays, the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Telecommunications Department finally approved the fee hikes requested by leading telcos Viettel, MobiFone, and VinaPhone.

According to a source in the department, the 3G service hike will be around 20 per cent.

Each business has a plan for their price hikes to acclimate customers to the new environment and a timeline that will be adaptable to market situations.

3G services fees in Vietnam are 35 to 68 per cent lower than other ASEAN and world nations. Even as prices go up, they will still be relatively cheap, but it will help telcos sell at above production cost, the telecom department source said.

The department also requested the three service providers ensure their 3G service quality so customers are getting what they pay for.

Vinaphone deputy director Ho Duc Thang reassured customers that 3G service quality will be commensurate with raised fees. “We still have challenges with 3G quality in some service areas and it may not reach expectations everywhere, but we are doing our best to fix this,” he told the media.

Viettel, MobiFone and VinaPhone announced new service fees yesterday, October 16, and said they would be rolling out new 3G fee packages and fee promotions.

Vietnam has four service providers offering 3G broadband Internet. Viettel holds 34.7 per cent market share, MobiFone 33.2 per cent, Vinaphone 29.7 per cent, and Vietnamobile 2.37 per cent.

Vietnam has 131 million mobile subscribers at present, 15.7 million of whom use 3G services which make up 10 per cent of telcos’ revenue.

Telecom businesses took in around $343 million from 3G services so far this year. The 20 per cent planned hike will add $71.4 million to this.

By By Huu Tuan

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