Most inhabited islands belonging to Vietnam’s sovereignty will be covered by mobile broadband and provided with post, telecom and Internet service by 2015 for economic development and national defence.

This is one of the main objectives of a project on ensuring information network on the sea and islands which has just been approved by the Prime Minister.

Accordingly, the government will build fixed telephone switchboards, public Internet access venues and satellite access stations on the islands.

At the same time, a system of mobile information stations serving fishing boats and ships will be built along the coastal lines.

To this end, the State will provide financial assistance for post and telecom service providers and set up a mechanism to subsidy telecom fees and end-use equipments for fishermen.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam now has 80 mobile phone subscribers. Mobile services supplied by such providers as VinaPhone and Viettel cover all cities and provinces nationwide, including mountainous districts, islands and remote areas./.