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Switch service, keep your number
The Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) is working on a plan that will allow mobile subscribers to keep the same number even if they change networks.
The policy is currently being drafted and will be sent to relevant companies for comment, according to Pham Hong Hai, head of the Telecommunication Department under the ministry.
The Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group under MoIC conducted research three years ago and waited for the telecom market to fully develop with clear division in the market share prior to fully developing the plan.
Some telecom companies have announced their agreement with the plan because they have seen the policy work in a number of other countries, such as Hong Kong, Japan and the US, where there is also a potential shortage of numbers.
However, an official from one of the mobile networks said this policy could not be implemented immediately, but possibly within the next two years. At this time the focus will likely remain on attracting the remaining 20 million people who don't currently use mobile phones, which he believes is equivalent to more than 30 million subscriptions.
He added that although clients would benefit from keeping their phone numbers, telecom firms would have to invest in a lot of infrastructure and technology to make the plan work. The new plan would also make it difficult to control subscribers and sharing client ratios between mobile networks would be complicated.
Viettel and S-Fone were the first two networks to allow their clients to keep their numbers when they change between the two companies. However, the first three digits must be changed to reflect the new network.
MoIC is working to allow users to keep the entire number.
Viet Nam currently has over 130.7 million phone subscribers, 90 per cent of whom are mobile users. Seven mobile network operators offer 20 mobile phone prefixes. Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone are currently the three largest operators.
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