3G indispensable to Vietnam

The Hanoi Times - Foreign experts participating in a workshop o­n communication technology held under the Vietnam Telecomp and Vietnam Electronic 2008 exhibition said that 3G is an indispensable requirement in VietnamAccording to Jaikishan Rajaraman, GSMA’s high-ranking director, the world has more than 700 GSM network operators and 199 HSPA networks and the prices for CDMA cell phones have fallen by 80% in the past four years. Meanwhile, a mere 2.3% of mobile service subscribers and 20 million Internet users have access to mobile broadband. GSMA asked around 300 people in Hanoi and all of them said they were ready for broadband and this means that developing a 3G network in Vietnam is indispensable. He said 3G is the most effective way for Vietnam to make a revolution from fixed to mobile phones to help the economy further develop. He gave some examples: farmers can quickly have updated weather information or receive health care consultations while students can study wherever they are, they do not have to go to universities in big cities with 3G. Gilbert Marciano, Solution Director of Alcatel – Lucent, said that Vietnam has necessary conditions to develop 3G network because 65% of the Vietnamese population is under 30 years old. They are young so their need for mobile services will be high and mobile broadband is a requirement. However, international experts also addressed some difficulties for developing 3G networks in Vietnam. The biggest problem is formalities, said Jaikishan Rajaraman. Difficulties in getting licences for 3G networks are barriers for businesses. This is also a problem in other countries like India and Thailand. Gilbert Marciano expressed his concern about the high costs to implement 3G services in Vietnam. He advised Vietnamese companies to learn experience from developed countries.