Unitel, a joint venture between Vietnamese telecom giant Viettel Group and Laos Asia Telecom, seeks to increase its turnover by 10 per cent to US$165 million this year.

“Unitel has retained its leading position in Laos and a growth of 10 per cent in turnover requires a huge effort,” Nguyen Hoang Son, deputy director of Unitel, told Viet Nam News.

In Laos, income from data has grown significantly to account for 40 per cent of turnover compared to 25 per cent in Viet Nam, according to Son.

Unitel has 2.8 million subscribers and a 50 per cent market share of mobile subscriptions and 35 per cent of broadband subscriptions.

With 4,000 base transceiver stations and 24,000km of fibre-optic cable, Unitel covers every district in Laos and 95 per cent of the population.

Since June 2015 it has been providing 4G services.

According to the London-based Brand Finance, an independent intangible asset valuation consultancy, in 2016 Unitel was the most effective telecommunications brand name in ASEAN.

Its brand value has grown by 106 per cent since 2015 to $132 million, and is the top telecom brand in Laos and the top 30 in the region.

The company has donated $9.7 million for social causes, provided free internet to 600 schools and helped change the Lao telecom market significantly with mobile use increasing from 18 per cent in 2009 to 80 per cent last year.

It has created more than 4,000 jobs, with another 20,000 indirect jobs being created through its collaboration programmes and partners.

Unitel recently won a bid to create an information system and management register of civil status, the largest smart society project in Laos.

This offers citizens a chance to electronically register information related to births, marriages and deaths.

The company is planning to launch U-money, which allows customers to spend through their mobile phone. — VNS