The major mobile network operators in Vietnam have pledged uninterrupted connections during the Lunar New Year festival, after increasing their network capacities to handle the anticipated surge in texts and calls.

However, they warned mobile users of possible congestion in some locations that witness huge gatherings of people during New Year's Eve, such as firework display locations.

Viettel, the country's largest mobile carrier in terms of number of subscribers, said its mobile users are unlikely to face congestion issues, as a large number of 2G network users had shifted to the 3G network, reducing the overload on the 2G network.

"In fact, over the past two years, the demand for sending mobile texts during the Lunar New Year has reduced following a boom in 3G usage, which prompted us to upgrade our 3G capacity," said the head of Viettel's network department, Tao Duc Thang.

He said the company has focused on upgrading its transmission capacity by installing more BTSs (base transmission stations) in locations where large crowds are expected to congregate to celebrate the New Year.

"We will also use mobile BTSs installed in cars during New Year's eve," Thang added.

The carrier said that its network allows download and upload speeds of up to 21.6 and 5.76 megabits per second, respectively, which will reduce the likelihood of congestion.

MobiFone's deputy general director Nguyen Dang Nguyen said this year, more people will use high-speed data services to share their photos and videos of New Year celebrations, thanks to the popularity of smartphones.
The country's oldest carrier has installed a large number of additional 3G data transmission stations and mobile stations for the busiest time of the year.
New mobile subscriptions in the country have skyrocketed in recent years, climbing from 19 million in 2006 to 25 million in 2007, 74 million in 2008, 98 million in 2009 and 134 million by the end of 2013.

The country has five mobile network operators: Vinaphone, MobiFone, Viettel, Vietnamobile and Gtel.VNA