The number of smartphone users in Vietnam will increase from the current 16 percent of mobilephone users to 21 percent by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the number of tablet users will increase to 5 percent from the current 2 percent.
The world’s leading telecom market researcher Ericsson ConsumerLab made known the figures after studying the trend of using data enabled devices in the country, which expects to post a growth rate of 21 percent in the next six months.
Faster connectivity and access to apps drive most data enabled device and smartphone purchases, Ericsson ConsumerLab, a subsidiary of Swedish telecom giant Ericsson, added.
The lab said that the download rate of mobile applications from Vietnam's smartphone users will also see a boost of 35-40 percent in the next six months.
The research also showed that continuous upgrades of network infrastructure and more appropriate pricing policies will help keep the smartphone growth rate high.
"Mobile operators in Vietnam should keep pace with the technology developments of smartphones in terms of coverage, transmission speed and stability," said Jan Wassenius, director of Ericsson Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
In terms of respondents' daily app usage, 49 percent reported using apps for social networking, 39 percent for chat, 31 percent for weather forecasts, 26 percent for news, 20 percent for maps and navigation, and 12 percent for timetables and traffic, according to a survey conducted in high-growth markets worldwide.
Meanwhile, the top 10 activities performed by consumers who have recently purchased a smartphone include (in order of popularity) checking in to locations, using maps, watching internet TV and movies, playing online games, playing games on social networking sites, and blogging.
In a separate study made last week by market researcher Nielsen, 70 percent of Vietnamese consumers use ordinary mobile phones, but 42 percent of them want to exchange those devices for smartphones in the next six months.
The survey, conducted in over 39 countries in Asia and the Pacific, including Vietnam, said most Vietnamese often ask friends, families and colleagues for advice before buying phones.
In addition, 39 percent say they find phones from looking at shop displays and 6 percent look for information about phones in leaflets.
New mobile subscriptions in Vietnam have skyrocketed in recent years, reaching 19 million in 2006, 25 million in 2007, 74 million in 2008, 98 million in 2009 and 121 million by the end of July 2012.-VNA
