HA NOI (Biz Hub) — While other giant telecom companies have raised 3G rates, Vietnamobile will not, according to Pham Ngoc Lang, chairman of Ha Noi Telecom Corporation's management board.

Vietnamobile will not increase its 3G Internet service fee though other telecom companies raise their prices. Photo ictnews.vn

The network has the lowest 3G fee at the moment, equivalent to 30 per cent of other telecom firms. However, it also has the lowest market share, only 2.7 per cent.

MobiFone leads the four 3G providers with 38.1 per cent, followed by Viettel (30.7 per cent) and VinaPhone (28.5 per cent).

Vietnamobile is a cooperative project between the Ha Noi group and Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecom company. The mobile network started to provide high-speed 3G services in 2001 in Ha Noi, Da Nang and HCM City.

Its D25 package provides 500MB for 30 days for only VND25,000 (US$1.2). Other providers offer only 150MB for that price.

The company's 1.5GB package costs only VND40,000 ($1.9); other networks charge their users VND120,000 ($5.7).

There were more than 16 million 3G subscribers in July, according to the Telecom Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications. More than 12.75 million used 3G on mobile phones.— VNS