The main source of income for mobile network operators in the futurewill be from 3G instead of voice and text services, the English languagenews portal VietNamNet Bridge reported.
The proportion of totalrevenue from 3G services has been increasing sharply, though the servicestill has not become the main source of mobile network operators’income.
A recent survey found that people use smartphones mostly to access the internet instead of making calls or sending messages.
Thediscovery, analysts said, shows that mobile network operators shouldmake more investments in 3G instead of voice or text services.
Nielsen’ssurvey conducted in 2013 found that the percentage of internet users inVietnam is high compared to the rest of the region.
Of the 58percent of Vietnamese who regularly use the internet, 97 percent spend16 hours a week on the internet. There is a considerable proportion ofpeople who are always “online”, either on smartphones or computers.
Thereport of a mobile network operator on the habits of mobile phonesubscribers showed they access the internet seven out of every 10 timesthey use their smartphones. Only three times are spent to make calls ormessages.
The big changes in the telecommunication market, plusthe low-cost smartphone boom in Vietnam, will lead to a sharp growth of3G services in the coming years and the decrease of 2G services,analysts said.
Low-cost smartphones are priced at around 40 USD.
Mobilenetwork operators are ready to adapt to new circumstances. In the past,mobile phone subscribers had to register to use 3G services and pay10,000 VND a month to maintain services. But now they do not have toregister or pay the fee.
A senior executive of VinaPhone, one ofthe three largest telecom networks in Vietnam, said that 3G isintegrated in every sim card launched in the market. This means thatusers can automatically use 3G services, and there is no need toregister with the operator.
The Ministry of Information andCommunication (MIC), in its latest report, also noted that 3G has becomea basic service like calls and messages.
Nguyen Dinh Chien,Deputy General Director of MobiFone, was quoted as saying that heexpected revenue from 3G services to increase by 60 percent this year.
VinaPhoneand Viettel, two of the three biggest mobile network operators, alsoconfirmed that they expect the same or higher growth rates in 2014.
Anexperienced telecom expert said that in the US, UK and France, servicesare provided in packages, which allow clients to make calls and sendmessages for free if they use 3G.
“I believe this is the way Vietnamese mobile network operators will follow in the future,” he was cited as saying.-VNA
The proportion of totalrevenue from 3G services has been increasing sharply, though the servicestill has not become the main source of mobile network operators’income.
A recent survey found that people use smartphones mostly to access the internet instead of making calls or sending messages.
Thediscovery, analysts said, shows that mobile network operators shouldmake more investments in 3G instead of voice or text services.
Nielsen’ssurvey conducted in 2013 found that the percentage of internet users inVietnam is high compared to the rest of the region.
Of the 58percent of Vietnamese who regularly use the internet, 97 percent spend16 hours a week on the internet. There is a considerable proportion ofpeople who are always “online”, either on smartphones or computers.
Thereport of a mobile network operator on the habits of mobile phonesubscribers showed they access the internet seven out of every 10 timesthey use their smartphones. Only three times are spent to make calls ormessages.
The big changes in the telecommunication market, plusthe low-cost smartphone boom in Vietnam, will lead to a sharp growth of3G services in the coming years and the decrease of 2G services,analysts said.
Low-cost smartphones are priced at around 40 USD.
Mobilenetwork operators are ready to adapt to new circumstances. In the past,mobile phone subscribers had to register to use 3G services and pay10,000 VND a month to maintain services. But now they do not have toregister or pay the fee.
A senior executive of VinaPhone, one ofthe three largest telecom networks in Vietnam, said that 3G isintegrated in every sim card launched in the market. This means thatusers can automatically use 3G services, and there is no need toregister with the operator.
The Ministry of Information andCommunication (MIC), in its latest report, also noted that 3G has becomea basic service like calls and messages.
Nguyen Dinh Chien,Deputy General Director of MobiFone, was quoted as saying that heexpected revenue from 3G services to increase by 60 percent this year.
VinaPhoneand Viettel, two of the three biggest mobile network operators, alsoconfirmed that they expect the same or higher growth rates in 2014.
Anexperienced telecom expert said that in the US, UK and France, servicesare provided in packages, which allow clients to make calls and sendmessages for free if they use 3G.
“I believe this is the way Vietnamese mobile network operators will follow in the future,” he was cited as saying.-VNA
