2G and 3G devices will disappear from Vietnam from next year

2G and 3G devices will be soon out of date in Vietnam

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is building a decree outlining national standards for mobile data terminals. Of this, all mobile devices circulated in the local market will have to be integrated with 4G and 5G technologies.

In other words, 2G and 3G devices will no longer be in commercial circulation in Vietnam, nor will mobile companies be allowed to manufacture or import such devices. The draft decree is forecast to be published in this December to take effect from July 2021.

According to the Authority of Telecommunications at MIC, the new policies aim to provide a boost for the application and development of 4.0 technologies such as AI, big data, the Internet of Things, and blockchain which rely heavily on connectivity and fast network speeds like 5G. Therefore, 4G and 5G devices have to be popularised, in line with the National Digital Transformation Programme to 2025.

Additionally, the MIC is encouraging local people to shift to Vietnam-based low-cost smartphones. Over the years, the authority has organised many programmes to establish partnerships between mobile operators and mobile producers to migrate 2G users to 4G devices.

The ministry is also stimulating data consumption instead of traditional mobile transmission networks. For this, it has required companies building Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) systems (integrated to the core network of 4G) to offer the best 4G voice services for subscribers.

In October, Viettel and MobiFone gained licenses for testing 5G in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. If the pilots succeed, 5G will be commercialised in Vietnam from next year.

According to the Authority of Telecommunications, as of September, about 88 million subscribers are using smartphones, up 14 per cent on-year. The number of 4G smartphone users reached more than 83 million, while the number of 2G users is 24.67 million, down 6 million on-year.