Benefits of the decision to turn off 2G waves in Vietnam

Stopping 2G waves - an old technology - will bring many benefits to people as well as businesses by reducing operating costs and focusing on improving the quality of other services.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the shutdown of 2G waves will be divided into 2 specific phases as follows: Phase 1 from September 2024 will stop serving subscribers using phones that only use 2G technology (2G Only); Phase 2 from September 2026 will completely stop the mobile wave system on the 2G platform. Currently, businesses rely on their actual operating conditions to gradually turn off 2G stations in areas where there is no traffic generated via the 2G network. Sharing at the discussion "Turn off 2G waves, what do people need to prepare?" held on the morning of July 18 in Hanoi, a representative of the Department of Telecommunications (MIC) said that stopping 2G waves brings benefits to people, society and businesses.

The 2G shutdown plan will be divided into two phases, starting from September 2024. Screenshot

In particular, for people - end customers who are using devices that only support 2G waves, the network operator will support them through the form of financial support to buy smart terminal devices (smartphones), support data usage packages with many modern features, suitable for new technology. With the use of smart devices, people have the opportunity to access many new services, including online public administrative services, cashless payments, and access to information through applications when accessing the internet. For businesses : Turning off 2G technology and in the near future 3G will reduce the operating costs of businesses; the entire radio frequency, transmission infrastructure, passive infrastructure, and human resources will focus on improving the quality and coverage of the current 4G network and focusing on investing in developing 5G technology. It is expected that the increase in mobile data traffic when 2G technology is discontinued will help increase revenue for network operators, while increasing revenue for businesses providing content services, telecommunications application services and creating new opportunities for Vietnamese companies to produce and supply terminal equipment supporting new technologies. For the state : Not exploiting networks using outdated technology, consuming large amounts of energy will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, gradually deploying mobile networks using energy-saving technology.

Experts from management agencies and businesses all believe that turning off 2G waves will bring many benefits. Anh Quan

To implement the roadmap to stop 2G technology, the Ministry of Information and Communications has requested mobile network operators to deploy 4G network infrastructure to ensure coverage to replace the switched-off 2G radio transceiver stations in all areas where the signal is switched off; Focus on developing infrastructure in remote, border and island areas, specifically implementing the telecommunications infrastructure development plan to ensure that by 2025, 100% of villages with low signal and national grid electricity are covered by 4G mobile broadband according to Decision No. 816/QD-BTTTT dated May 18, 2024 on promulgating the plan to develop Vietnam's telecommunications infrastructure for the period 2024 - 2025. In addition, with the implementation of solutions to promote 2G shutdown, the number of 2G Only subscribers has decreased significantly, as of May 2024, the number of 2G Only users is more than 11 million, accounting for about 9% of the total number of mobile subscribers nationwide. According to the roadmap to stop 2G technology, telecommunications enterprises expect the number of 2G Only subscribers to decrease to 0 or less than 5% of the total number of mobile subscribers of each unit by September 2024. To promote the process of turning off 2G waves, the Ministry of Information and Communications is developing a decree guiding the telecommunications law to implement support through the public telecommunications fund. The Ministry also requires enterprises to implement solutions to protect consumer rights such as communicating to each subscriber; having solutions to support terminal devices for users, especially vulnerable users such as the elderly, low-income people, people in remote areas, border areas, islands... Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-loi-ich-cua-quyet-dinh-tat-song-2g-tai-viet-nam-185240718090706019.htm