Vietnam is pushing ahead with plans to introduc e 4G mobile services to the country, starting with its major cities, according to local press reports.
The government has approved a master plan for 4G and will issue the first licences next year, English language daily the Viet Nam News reported on Monday.
The paper quoted Vietnam’s deputy minister of information and communications Le Nam Thang as saying that services will be rolled out first in big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, where there is big demand for mobile data and a willingness to pay for it.
The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) granted licences to pilot 4G services to FPT Telecom, VNPT, Viettel, CMC, and VTC four years ago, the paper added.
Vietnam’s big mobile operators – Viettel, and VNPT’s MobiFone and Vinaphone – have tested services in some big cities and are ready to scale up.
However, there remains some doubt as to the level of demand for 4G services in the country.
In a report by Sai Gon Giai Phong, VNPT’s telecoms head Do Vu Anh said mobile operators are still investing in content to boost their 3G offerings, Viet Nam News noted.
There is still significant untapped potential in 3G, he said, explaining that only 30% of Vietnamese mobile users – or around 30 million – have 3G services.
An unnamed executive from Viettel also pointed out that operators spent heavily on rolling out 3G and still have spare capacity. As such, they would be better off upgrading their 3G networks than investing in 4G.
He also warned that most Vietnamese people do not have a sufficient income level to allow them to purchase 4G devices and services.
