Vietnam telecom industry to open to all investors: minister (11/05)
06/08/2010 - 168 Lượt xem
Minister Do Trung Ta told the regional conference Wednesday that telecom sector, now a state monopoly, would open the doors to foreign counterparts if it became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) this year.
The telecom sector would push up equitzation of its mobile phone service providers in the coming time and foreign investors were promoted to buy a certain share volume.
He added that if Vietnam joined the WTO, it would keep the pledge to relax the domestic telecom market.
The two-day conference held by the Posts and Telematics ministry and Singapore-based IBC Asia Ltd gathered over 200 experts, managers and service providers from Vietnam and abroad.
Delegates focused on future growth trends in regional development, establishment of trademarks, and value-added mobile services.
With a population of over 83 million and just 14 percent mobile phone penetration, Vietnam is viewed as a massive potential market for investors.
The mobile market rose to 11 million from 8.7 million in addition to 7 million landline phones in the first four months this year.
The industry targeted to double the current teledensity by 2010, Ta said though foreign market research groups forecast that by that time Vietnam would have some 52 million telephones, 70 percent of them cell phone.
There are now six mobile phone network operators in the country – VinaPhone, MobileFone, Viettel Mobile, S-Fone, EVN Telecom and Hanoi Telecom.
The first Mobiles Vietnam took place in Hanoi in 2004 and the last one in HCMC last year.
Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre
