Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son (left) meets Indian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal.— Photo CPV

HA NOI (Biz Hub)— Viet Nam and India have crossed wires in a positive sense by signing two memorandums of understanding to improve information, communications and technology (ICT) co-operation between their business communities.

The first agreement was inked by Viet Nam's Authority of Radio Frequency Management (RFD) and India's Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing (WPC), while the second links Viet Nam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The signing took place on Thursday during a working visit to India by Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son. The trip aimed to accelerate implementation of the agreements and promote the strategic partnership established in 2007.

During talks with Son in New Delhi on the same day, Indian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal said ICT was a driving force behind India's socio-economic development.

Indian ICT exports had already topped US$80 billion and were forecast to reach $300 billion by 2020, he said.

India currently ranked second in the world in terms of phone supply services and third in terms of internet users, he noted.

The minister also spoke highly of the rapid development seen by Viet Nam's IT sector, saying the country should set up joint-ventures with India to capitalise on its expertise in the hardware industry.

Network security and aerospace technology could also prove promising areas for bilateral partnership, he said.

The Vietnamese Government considered science-technology development a top priority as it bids to become a modern industrialised nation by 2020, Son said.

Son said he hoped Viet Nam could enhance IT co-operation with India and learn from its vast experience in this field.

Viet Nam was also willing to help link India to other Southeast Asian markets, as well as with South Korea and Japan, he said.

During the talks, the two ministers proposed establishing a joint committee on technology, information and post, as well as a framework for implementing co-operative agreements.

Earlier on Wednesday, Son met with leaders of Tata Consultancy Services and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

He suggested C-DAC should help Vietnamese universities and research institutes in the field of science-technology, especially applied sciences and information safety, as well as IT human resources development through training in both nations. — VNS