Viettel has provided 4G service in its international markets, like Cambodia and Laos. — VNS Photo

HCM

It will be the first telecom company in Viet Nam to offer the service.

"Viettel's 4G services will be available from the first quarter of next year," the company's deputy general director, Hoang Son, said.

The services would be affordable, he promised, attributing it to the large scale of the project.

"With 4G, prices might be lower than the current 3G prices and we will create many different and flexible packages for customers."

There is huge demand for mobile data in the country.

Five years ago mobile data was only used for reading online newspapers and accessing the internet and email.

But now users like to see videos and share them on social media while new technologies like virtual reality (VR) and interactive games are now extremely popular, and 3G cannot meet the demand.

Viettel will focus on offering 4G services everywhere in the country like it did with 2G around a decade ago. Its competitors, on the other hand, began by offering 2G in major cities before expanding.

Statistics from many countries indicate that if broadband expands by more 10 per cent, the nation's GDP increases by 1 per cent.

"I believe 4G services will bring huge opportunities for Viet Nam's development," Son said.

The advent of 4G would raise Viet Nam's profile in global telecommunications, he said.

Viettel also makes devices, and with a 4G-ready smartphone costing only around $50, most of the Vietnamese population can afford it.

Viettel has tested both its 4G services and devices in the southern coastal province of Vung Tau.

At present 3G services in rural areas are growing at double the urban rate, and this augurs very well for Viettel's 4G roll-out.

"Internet access will open up many opportunities for rural residents to learn, consume entertainment, find jobs and generally narrow the gap between urban and rural areas," Son said. — VNS