VNPT piloted 4G services in Phu Quoc in early 2016 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan on October 28 handed a licence to provide 4G services to the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT).
According to Chairman of the group’s member council Tran Manh Hung, VNPT plans to install 21,000 4G stations with the aim of making the service available across Vietnam in 2017 and covering 100 percent of urban population in the country in the following years.
The company has offered the service on a trial basis in Ho Chi Minh City and Kien Giang since January 2016.
4G, which is the fourth generation of telecommunication technology that is tens of times faster than the previous generation, has been launched in many countries. The permission of 4G services is part of the Government-approved telecommunication development plan to 2020.
At the ceremony, Minister Truong Minh Tuan said VNPT now can launch 4G services on the 1800MHz band, requesting the company to promptly offer the technology and ensure its quality as committed.
The licencing marked a turning point for the development of the Vietnamese telecommunications sector, he stated.
In October, similar licences were granted to the military-run Viettel Group, MobiFone, and Gtel.
Viettel said it is investing in relevant infrastructure and and 4G service will be offered in the first quarter next year. MobiFone is yet to unveil its release date.-VNA
