(Dan Tri) - From October 15, network operators will begin to stop providing two-way services (including listening and calling) for subscribers still using the 2G Only network.
2G is the abbreviation for second-generation mobile telecommunications network technology. The 2G network was commercially deployed based on the GSM standard in Finland by the Radiolinja network (now part of the telecommunications company Elisa Oyj) in 1991. Currently, the 2G network has been assessed by many countries around the world as "outdated" and contains many vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals can take advantage of this feature to spread spam messages, fake messages to user devices via 2G waves with fake BTS stations, causing a lot of damage to users. In addition, maintaining 2G waves is also taking up "space" in the frequency band that could be used for the development of 5G and 6G networks. Therefore, the requirement to turn off 2G network waves is becoming more urgent than ever to ensure the rights of both people and businesses.
Complete 2G shutdown on October 15
In early July, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) issued a document announcing the roadmap for stopping 2G mobile technology in Vietnam. Accordingly, this roadmap will last for a period of 2 years. Initially, the MIC and network operators planned to turn off 2G waves from September 15. However, due to the impact of storm No. 3, the MIC issued Circular No. 10/2024/TT-BTTTT on September 13, extending the provision of 2G Only service by one month (ie October 15).
Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha, Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications, shared at the talk show "Turn off 2G waves before G hour" (Photo: Nguyen Nguyen).
A representative of the Department of Telecommunications said that at the beginning of 2024, the entire network still had over 18 million subscribers using 2G terminals. However, by October 10, there were only 771,072 subscribers in this category, accounting for less than 1% of mobile subscribers nationwide. "Today's impressive results show the responsibility, efforts and determination of network operators in implementing the policies of the Ministry of Information and Communications," Nguyen Phong Nha, Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications, shared. Speaking to Dan Tri reporters, representatives of network operators said that the 2G shutdown process will take place in turn in different areas. It is expected that the 2G shutdown will be completed on October 15. Up to now, for many different reasons, a number of people have not yet received information or have not had the opportunity to change their devices with the network operator. The impact of storm No. 3 is one of the reasons why the conversion is difficult, because people in the affected areas have to focus on economic recovery. Mr. Nguyen Trong Tinh, Deputy General Director of Viettel Telecom, said that the group of customers who have not yet converted rarely use their phones and have almost no contact. A few of them are in remote areas, so it is very difficult to access information support and conversion. It is expected that by the day the 2G signal is turned off, Viettel will have less than 100,000 2G subscribers, including 2G subscribers in the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa islands and DK1 Platform.
It is expected that the 2G shutdown will be completed on October 15 (Photo: Medium).
Meanwhile, Mr. Do Manh Dung, acting Director of the Personal Customer Department of VNPT VinaPhone, said that in the past, Vinaphone has communicated with all 2G subscribers who have not yet converted, with a frequency of 1 time every 2 days. At the same time, Vinaphone also increased the number of questions to let those in this category know that they will be blocked from 2-way communication from October 15. As of the morning of October 11, the entire Vinaphone network only had about 150,000 2G Only subscribers. Representatives from other networks such as MobiFone , Vietnamobile, ASIM... also said that before the communication efforts to all customers, the number of 2G Only subscribers in the past time has decreased significantly, with only a few tens of thousands of subscribers for each network.
Turning off 2G is a common trend in the world.
In Vietnam, 2G network has been applied since 1993. Adaptation and continuous updating of new technologies have turned Vietnam into one of the most vibrant and strongly developing markets. Since 2020, Vietnam has been considered one of the first countries to successfully pilot and apply 5G. Up to now, 5G network is also being actively expanded by network operators in many provinces and cities across the country.
Turning off 2G waves aims to promote national digital transformation (Photo: Formasup).
Faced with the new context, the problem of turning off 2G waves to optimize frequency planning, optimize network infrastructure and optimize costs is also raised, meeting the requirements of the national digital transformation process, bringing people to the digital environment. At the discussion "Turn off 2G waves before G hour" held on October 11, representatives including experts and network operators all agreed that turning off old technologies such as 2G and 3G is a common trend in the world. "2G technology has been used for 30 years, many network devices have degraded quality, consume electricity, and are unstable, so replacement is inevitable when new technology is ready. This is the consensus and practical requirement of production and business", said a representative of the Department of Telecommunications. The Prime Minister has approved the option of turning off 2G to promote the implementation of the goals in the National Digital Transformation Program until 2025, with a vision to 2030. The program aims to popularize 4G/5G mobile networks and smartphones to every Vietnamese citizen. This will be a revolution to promote e-government, digital economy , digital society... quickly and is also an important driving force for Vietnam to develop faster and stronger.
Experts and network operators agree that turning off old technologies such as 2G and 3G is a common trend in the world (Photo: Contributor).
100% of the population using smartphones will promote more diverse digital services, more data services, more revenue for network operators and new development opportunities. Mr. Doan Quang Hoan, General Secretary of the Radio and Electronics Association, said that when 2G waves are turned off, people will stop using low-quality, low-speed services and move towards using high-quality, high-speed services. This will help bring the whole society to a digital environment soon. At the same time, telecommunications businesses can also remove old technology from the network, reducing operating costs.
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