The Vietnam Data Communication gained three firsts at the Information and Communications Technology Awards 2008.

The Vietnam Data Communication, as announced recently, won best internet service provider, best service and customer care provider, and service provider with the highest volume of internet subscribers.

Information and Communications Deputy Minister Tran Duc Lai said the awards process was conducted in a scientific manner with criteria established overtly, objectively and logically.

The awards aimed to encourage organizations and enterprises to raise their community service quality and customer care, said Lai, who is head of the organising board of Vietnam ITC Awards.

They also encouraged the development of advanced quality management system in Vietnam’s information and communication industries.

In addition, the organising board also conducted a poll to collect opinions and ideas from organizations, enterprises and, experts in the IT sector and to obtain comments on evaluating criteria.

In 2008, the ADSL market had three major competitors: VDC, military-run Viettel and FPT Telecom. Viettel took the second place from FPT Telecom.

Experts in the ICT sector said ADSL development depended on infrastructure including investment in broadband and a local telephone network.

Meanwhile, investment in broadband infrastructure and local telephone network required great investment. Viettel mostly provides its ADSL service to provinces and big districts.

Analysts said that in the ADSL service market, the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Corporation had increased their lead over other competitors by providing a broadband internet service with more than 1.4 million Mega VNN subscribers.

Two other internet service providers ranked after VNPT were FPT Telecom and Viettel with around 700,000 ADSL subscribers.

VDC director Vu Hoang Lien said internet users complained about the service quality of all domestic internet providers. Lien said being a State-owned enterprise, VDC admitted it still had shortcomings in customer care service.

Meanwhile, the subscriber number of VDC has been expanded nationwide, thus making customer care service more difficult than other competitors.

Lien said soon VDC would focus on building and planning a better process of customer care service. He said he was committed to bringing customers the best quality service at a reasonable price./.