2G technology phones will be 'disabled' from October 16

Only 1 more day, phones using 2G waves will officially "expire", after October 15th these phones will not be able to communicate.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, currently there are 700,000 active 2G Only subscribers nationwide, accounting for less than 1% of the total number of subscribers.

The number of active 2G Only subscribers of each network is as follows: Viettel 360,000, VinaPhone 150,000, MobiFone 47,919, Vietnamobile 17,000, ASIM 5,000, VNSKY several thousand, Mobicast 423. Most of these customers live in remote areas, are often elderly, and have little need to use the service.

2G network is a mobile technology developed in Vietnam since 1993. In recent years, the security vulnerabilities of the 2G network have been increasingly exploited by cybercriminals, especially the spread of spam messages and text message fraud.

Not only that, 2G is also the reason that hinders the deployment of stronger mobile connections such as 4G/5G/6G.

The remaining 2G Only subscribers do not have much demand for use, so it is difficult to contact; others are in remote areas.

Previously, in early July, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) issued a document announcing the roadmap to stop 2G mobile technology in Vietnam. Accordingly, this roadmap will last for a period of 2 years.

Initially, the Ministry of Information and Communications and network operators planned to turn off 2G waves from September 15. However, due to the impact of storm No. 3, the Ministry of Information and Communications issued Circular No. 10/2024/TT-BTTTT on September 13, extending the provision of 2G Only service by one month (ie October 15).

During the transition, carriers make efforts to communicate to customer groups through direct and indirect measures.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Tinh, Deputy General Director of Viettel, shared that the remaining 2G Only subscribers do not have much demand for use, so it is difficult to contact them; others are in the most remote areas, so employees have not been able to reach them.

Mr. Do Manh Dung, Acting Director of VinaPhone's Personal Customer Department, pointed out other difficulties that this network operator encountered, such as: Some customers only change their phones when they cannot use the service; due to the impact of storms and floods, many areas became inaccessible and people focused on restoring their personal lives before paying attention to other activities.

After the 2G wave is stopped, the network operators will still ensure the policy of guaranteeing the rights of subscribers, said Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dung, Deputy Head of MobiFone Telecommunications Services Department. The network operators block the devices but still retain the accounts and subscriptions for customers.

VinaPhone continues to maintain the policy of giving away phones, supporting phones, and taking care of customers at service points or directly at home. Viettel proposes a special policy for the remaining 2G Only subscribers, customers will not have their accounts locked or their numbers withdrawn to the warehouse if they do not use the service for two months.

Chi Hieu

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