From March 1, 2G "brick" phones that have not been certified by the Ministry of Information and Communications will not be able to connect to new networks.

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Retail systems no longer sell 2G "brick" phone models.

According to the plan, by September 2024, the Ministry of Information and Communications aims to have no more 2G Only subscribers on the mobile network. However, there are currently some early 3G and 4G smartphone subscribers on the market that have not yet integrated the VoLTE feature. These phone models are forced to make voice calls via 2G and 3G platforms and can still continue to be used until September 2026. Therefore, from September 2024 to September 2026, the existing 2G system will be used for voice and text messaging services for subscribers using 3G and 4G phones that do not support VoLTE technology. And by 2026, there will be no more 2G systems on the network, only 3G and 4G.

Although from March 1, only 2G phones that have not been network-compliant will be banned, the vast majority of domestic phone retailers have stopped selling 2G “brick” phones; the “brick” phones currently on sale all have 4G built-in. In addition, some retailers also support users to upgrade from 2G phones to 4G.

According to Mr. Nguyen The Kha, Commercial Director of FPT Shop, currently on the shelves of stores in this system, there are no more phone product lines with only 2G waves. Since 2023, FPT Shop has come up with a plan to support users by supporting the exchange of 2G phones for smartphones. For example, the program ' each point of sale at 750 FPT Shop stores across the provinces and cities is a 2G phone exchange point'. For old, broken phones that are no longer usable, customers can bring them to the system to immediately upgrade to smartphones. FPT Shop also gives 300,000 VND when upgrading to a new 4G phone priced from 2.7 million VND. In parallel, the 30 luckiest customers will be upgraded to a free smartphone when registering their information, or customers can immediately buy products equipped with 4G for only 390,000 VND at the store system or online easily.

Similarly, the representative of the Mobile World system also said that in the chain's stores, there are no more phones with only 2G waves, and "brick" phones are also 4G products. At the same time, to prepare for the transition from 2G to 4G, the system has coordinated with manufacturing units to bring customers 4G feature phone products with more than 15 models from only 390,000 VND from brands such as Nokia, Masstel, Mobell.... Low-cost smartphone products with nearly 50 models, from only 1,990,000 VND to less than 5 million VND, from brands such as Samsung, Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo, Realme...

Not only in terms of products, Mobile World also cooperates with other units to accompany customers in the transition period from 2G to 4G. Accordingly, customers only need to bring their old 2G feature phone to upgrade to 4G, and will receive a subsidy of up to 300,000 VND; cooperate with financial companies to deploy 0% installment packages, with down payment from only 10%; cooperate with network operators to have attractive data sim packages for customers to experience 4G.

Ms. Phung Phuong, representative of Mobile World, also said: From the end of August 2023, this system will no longer sell 2G/3G products, but only focus on 4G/5G products. Particularly for special products such as Vertu phones, as a distributor and exclusive retailer of genuine products in Vietnam, Mobile World is also only selling 4G phones, including the Signature V line. Vertu Vietnam has continuously warned customers using Vertu 2G (purchased before, not at genuine Vertu Vietnam) about the signal being cut off and at the same time, Vertu Global will lock the devices of products that are not purchased genuine.

Mr. Nguyen Lac Huy, media representative of Cellphone S, also shared that this system has stopped selling 2G phones for a year now. In addition, it is also coordinating with companies to support customers to upgrade their phones to 4G, with the old-for-new exchange program. Specifically, for old 2G phones when changing to 4G phones of Xiaomi, Samsung or Realme, they will be supported with 300,000 VND, or if changing to Oppo phones, they will be supported with 500,000 VND.