Synopsis
Vietnam’s mobile market continues to grow strongly, evidence that the competition model the government has put in place, although limited initially, has in fact been working. The government has committed itself to the continued growth of mobile networks, especially encouraging the extension of coverage to the provinces. Vietnam has also been busy opening up the market to new players, importantly including some with no involvement of the state-owned VNPT. As with most other Asian mobile markets, growth in Vietnam has been boosted by the introduction of prepaid mobile services back in 2001. By early 2009 Vietnam’s mobile phone service providers could claim almost 70 million subscribers, representing a national penetration of 80%. More than 80% of subscribers were pre-paid. In April 2009 the government issued four 3G licences, signalling what will probably be the market’s next phase in its development. In this report we provide an overview of the country’s mobile market and also provide an overview of the TV broadcasting market.