|
Fierce competition benefits cell phone users
In a context of high inflation, a continuous cut in prices of telecommunication services, especially for mobile phones, has made life easier for consumers.
The General Statistics Office reported that prices of telecommunication services, including those for mobile phones, are now just 90.7 percent as much as the rates available in December, 2007. In the first half of this year alone, the prices were cut by almost 12 percent year on year.
The mobile phone market has recently enjoyed a dynamic growth with over 48 million subscribed to four leading service suppliers, namely VinaPhone, MobiFone, Viettel and S-Fone.
Experts estimated that the mobile phone market in Vietnam has just 60 percent tapped and predicted that it would not be fully saturated until 2010.
The giants have no choices but to get deep into the competition which has become fiercer and fiercer in an effort to widen their shares of this “delicate cake.”
Most recently, MobiFone, the second largest mobile phone network with over 13.4 million subscribers, launched the ever biggest promotion campaign by offering an additional 100,000 VND to each new pre-paid account and up to 200 more minutes for each post-paid account.
Early June, VinaPhone, the third largest network with over 12 million subscribers, followed suit with numerous attractive offers for both callers and listeners.
As an industrial leader in the number of subscribers, Viettel has launched to the market a new service called “I Share” for all pre-paid subscribers. Users are able to transfer money in their accounts into their friends’.
Telecommunication experts said a decision made by the Ministry of Information and Communications that allows enterprises to self-decide service charges is the root cause that led to the competitive market.
They however warned mobile phone service suppliers to pay more attention to improve the quality of their services rather than just focusing on charge rates.
VNA
|
