The Second International Telecom Summit (Vietnam Telecom 2009) will take place in Hanoi from May 19-21.

With the theme “Building a sustainable mobile and broadband future for Vietnam: 3G and beyond”, Vietnam Telecom 2009 is expected to draw around 250 businesses and 30  speakers and experts from IT sector to discuss the nation’s IT and telecom development for the 2011-2020 period.

The participants will also discuss plans to develop fixed broadband networks, mobile and broadband services as well as effective business models for mobile and fixed services of new generations.

Minister of Information and Communications Le Doan Hop said that the annual Vietnam telecom summit aims to enhance local and foreign investors’ understanding about Vietnam’s investment opportunities.

The event is also a good chance for Vietnamese and international telecom companies to share experience and seek cooperation opportunities for development of Vietnam’s telecom market, especially mobile and broadband services, he added.

Vietnam Telecom 2009 is to be jointly held by the National Institute of Information and Communications Strategy (NIICS) and Beacon Events with assistance of State-owned telecommunications giant Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the Military Telecom Corporation (Viettel), the Sai Gon Post and Telecommunications Service Joint Stock Company (Sai Gon Postel), and the Hanoi Telecom Company.

The last year’s summit drew the participation of more than 300 delegates from 18 countries and territories.

According to the International Telecom Union, Vietnam is one of the countries posting the highest telecom growth rate in the world. By the end of the first quarter this year, the country had approximately 87 million telephone subscribers, around 6.7 million Internet subscribers with nearly 21 million users, making up 24.5 percent of the total population.-Enditem