Vietnam has cut tariffs on a large number of imported electronics parts substantially by five to 20 percent, the Ministry of Finance announced Mar. 18. Among products subject to the tariff cut are TV antennas, CD and VCD players, digital cameras, mobile phone beepers, and transformers etc., the ministry said. The new tax rates for these products would range from 20 to zero percent, according to the ministry. … [Read more...] about Vietnam slashes tariffs on imported electronics parts
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Ericsson expects higher phone sales
HA NOI — Ericsson Viet Nam unveiled optimistic forecasts on the domestic mobile phone market this year yesterday. "In Viet Nam, the new year will focus on optimisation and network quality improvements with the expected number of mobile subscribers reaching 100 million," said Eddie Ahman, President and Country Manager of Ericsson Viet Nam. "3G technology and services will be deployed and expanded strongly. The need for transmission capacity will be a challenge to operators. "New telecom operators will bring more options for users with low tariffs packages. Virtual operators will diversify the telecom market. Operators will outsource to spend time focusing more on business strategy and customer care." Currently Ericsson co-operated with Vietnamobile to provide services to the domestic markets, said Ahman, adding that his company managed and operated the Vietnamobile mobile network while Vietnamobile just focused on developing business and customers care. "Vietnamobile is the … [Read more...] about Ericsson expects higher phone sales
Mobile market growth remains unsustainable
Mobile market growth remains unsustainable By Hien Nguyen - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC - Vietnam's telecom market continued expanding last year despite the sting in the tail of the economic slowdown but a market observer said its growth was not sustainable. The comment was given by the researcher while analyzing official figures publicized by the Ministry of Information and Communications. BMI estimates that the mobile ARPU rate for Vietnam fell by 8% in 2008 to reach US$6. There was a similar fall in ARPU in the previous year when the average mobile ARPU rate for Vietnam dropped from US$7 in 2006 to US$6.5. The market researcher forecasts a continued fall in 2009 and next year. According to BMI, the decline is attributable to the impact of economic slowdown on customer spending. Another important element is a string of tariff cuts endorsed by the ministry and taking effect from January 15 this year. The ARPU is estimated to decline 21% in 2009. However, from 2009 onwards, the … [Read more...] about Mobile market growth remains unsustainable
ICT retailer expands business into electronic segment
ICT retailer expands business into electronic segment By Thu Hien - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC- Thegioididong.com, a local mobile phone retailer, on Monday announced its move to expand business into electronic retailing by building the new brand-name thegioidientu.com, according to the company’s CEO. Dinh Anh Huan, general director of Thegioidientu.com, said at a press conference that the new move was to cash in on the electronic commodity retail segment, which is growing rapidly in the country. “The electronic market in Vietnam is growing very fast and the market size is so huge. Thus, we’ve decided to jump into this area,” he said. According to Huan, the local mobile phone retail segment is nearly saturated and retailers earn between VND40,000 and VND60,000 only for each cell-phone sold. Meanwhile, the profit margin from electronics trading is so wide and retailers can earn much more, even in the face of sharp discounts in holidays. Thus, thegioididong.com … [Read more...] about ICT retailer expands business into electronic segment
Mobile phone providers caught up in price war
Viet Nam’s mobile phone service providers are rushing to reduce charges as the Ministry of Information and Communications’ (MIC) new Circular No 11 to restrict promotional activities came into effect on Thursday. Major mobile phone businesses including Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the military-run telecoms group, Viettel have asked the ministry to rapidly agree to customer tariff reductions. After removing two cheap services, Viettel is preparing to reduce tariffs by 15 to 20 per cent for both pre-paid and contracted subscribers. Nguyen Viet Dung, deputy head of Viettel’s marketing department said it had proposed that the ministry should have begun applying the reduction since February. He added that the provider also proposed other reductions which were expected to be applied next week while they are waiting for acceptance from the ministry. VinaPhone and MobiFone which are under VNPT have also planned tariff reductions. VNPT’s … [Read more...] about Mobile phone providers caught up in price war