Vietnam is planning to introduce 4G mobile services in the country, starting with major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, according to a report published in a daily in Vietnam. The Government has already approved the plan for the purpose and will begin issuing licenses next year.
A few telecom companies have received licenses to pilot 4G services for quite a while. They include the major telecom players in the country such as FPT Telecom, VNPT, Viettel, CMC, and VTC.
Doan Quang Hoan, Chief of the Government’s department of radio frequencies, reportedly told in a conference at Hanoi that the 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz bands have already been assigned for 4G networks. However, these bands have not been used.
Three big players in the sector -- Viettel, and VNPT's MobiFone and Vinaphone --- already tested their services in the cities and are all set to roll out.
Although 4G is soon to be launched, reports claim that there is still a wide untapped potential in 3G. It seems only 30 percent of Vietnam mobile users use 3G. The purchasing capacity of the people to buy and use 4G services are also uncertain and many telecom operators raise concern on this.
