Sharing with VietNamNet, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuc, Director of the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) said that from tomorrow (March 1), network operators will not allow new network access with mobile phones that only support 2G technology and are not on the list of 2G phones certified as conforming to regulations announced by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
According to the list of the Telecommunications Department, there are 1,500 units that have been granted conformity for mobile phones that only support 2G technology. Thus, 2G phones that are not certified by the Ministry of Information and Communications but are connected to the network before March 1 can still be used normally.
The Telecommunications Department said that network operators are responsible for widely communicating the implementation of solutions to control non-compliant 2G devices and prevent connection to mobile telecommunications networks to their customers; at the same time, publicizing information on contact points for resolving customer complaints.
According to the announcement of the Telecommunications Department, 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. Thus, subscribers using 2G phones will not be able to use the 2G system in the 900MHz band. From September 2026, the 2G mobile system will be discontinued and will only be used for 4G.
Sharing about the issue of shutting down 2G waves, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tinh, Deputy General Director of Viettel Telecom, said that Viettel considers shutting down 2G waves to be a very correct policy, in line with the trend as well as the wishes of network operators and the needs of customers and society in the current period. In fact, Viettel has had many measures to promote the transition from 2G to 4G of mobile users since 4 years ago.
According to Viettel Telecom's Deputy General Director, the 2G subscriber rate accounts for about 16% of Viettel's total subscribers. By September 2024, it is necessary to shift and bring the number of 2G subscribers on the network to less than 5% before the company can turn off the signal.
A representative of VNPT said that since 2015, when 2G still accounted for about 60% of network traffic, VNPT has determined a strategy and developed a plan to turn off 2G waves. Over the past 2 years, VNPT has proactively turned off individual stations that generate little or no traffic.
Currently, VNPT still has about 3 million 2G subscribers, equivalent to 8% of the total number of subscribers. VNPT has developed a plan and solutions to commit to converting all subscribers and devices to 2G Only by September 2024 according to the direction and orientation of the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Agreeing on this issue, MobiFone representative said that they fully support the policy of turning off 2G waves, switching customers using 2G Only to 4G, 5G to optimize frequency, infrastructure, and deploy more digital services.
Currently, MobiFone has about 3 million 2G subscribers out of a total of 20 million subscribers. MobiFone has turned off 2G signals in areas with low traffic.
Before the shutdown, the network operator had a plan to assess the impact on people, and the implementation was carried out according to a specific roadmap. However, in reality, the network operator encountered a situation where many mobile users received notification messages but did not read them. Therefore, some people still do not know about the shutdown of 2G waves.
People who have questions and complaints about 2G phones not being connected to the network should call the customer care center of the mobile company for support and guidance. In case of needing the coordination of the Department of Telecommunications regarding the types of 2G Only phones that are certified to be in compliance, please contact the Department of Telecommunications' contact point:
Mr. Le Huu Duc – Telecommunication Quality Measurement Center: 0236.3583223 – extension 406, Email: [email protected];
Mr. Pham Thanh Binh – Telecommunication Quality Measurement Center: 024.39436608 – extension 08001. Email: [email protected].
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