Illustrative image (Source: baodautu.vn)Hanoi (VNA) – Military-run telecom group Viettel posted revenue of 144 trillion VND (6.4 billion USD ) and pre-tax profit of some 25 trillion VND in the first eight months of the year.
Viettel's Deputy General Director Hoang Son stated this at the meeting with the Ministry of Information and Communication held in Hanoi late last week .
Pre-tax profit was 3.7 times higher than combined total of Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT) and MobiFone Telecommunications Corporation (MobiFone).
Accordingly, VNPT's revenue was 83 trillion VND for the eight-month period, meeting 63 percent of its whole year's target.
VNPT Chairman Tran Manh Hung said profit in the period totalled 66 percent of the whole year's target at 2.8 trillion VND.
MobiFone reported revenue of 3.88 trillion VND and contributed 3.7 trillion VND to the state budget.
The telecom providers also asked the ministry to remove regulations on floor prices of international calls to Viet n am to avoid reducing revenue due to competition from over-the-top content (OTT) services, such as Skype, Viber and Zalo.
Bui Son Nam, MobiFone's Deputy General Director, said the number of international calls to Vietnam in August saw a sharp decrease of 15 percent from the previous month as users preferred making free calls using the OTT service.
He added that foreign partners had complained about the management of floor prices of international calls to Vietnam.
Hung also suggested that the ministry review the regulation on prices, which was promulgated in 2014, as it was not suited to the current reality.
The ministry should consider whether to manage the prices itself or allow telecom providers to decide the prices, he added.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Hung said foreign partners had also complained on the floor price management policy when Vietnam participated in negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The trend in telecom services has witnessed rapid changes, requiring both businesses and management agencies to adapt accordingly. The suggestions on floor prices of international calls to Vietnam should be strictly considered, Hung said.-VNA
