After September 16, many mobile phone models will no longer be available in Vietnam. These are models that only support 2G (2G only) with basic calling and listening capabilities. Once popular for their high durability, long battery life and good impact resistance, they are often known as "brick" phones. Some famous "brick" phone models include Nokia 3310, Nokia 1100 or Nokia 2100. Although quite old, many of these models are still in circulation on the market.

The 2G Only phone model - Nokia 2100 is currently sold for 200,000. Photo: Trong Dat

According to VietNamNet, although the deadline for "shutting down 2G waves" is approaching, those in need can still easily find and buy 2G Only phones. These devices are often sold at small mobile stores or advertised in online groups. The common price of basic 2G Only models such as Nokia 1280, Nokia 6300, Nokia 110i usually ranges from 150,000 - 200,000 VND. With "hot" models at one time such as Nokia N Gage, Motorola V3, the current selling price of the phone is around 300,000 - 700,000 VND. Unlike basic "brick" phones which are mostly "fire-fighting" in nature, some high-end 2G phones are still popular and sought after by collectors. That is the reason why the prices of some high-end 2G phone models such as Motorola Aura, or Nokia 8800 with variants such as Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, Nokia 8800 Sirocco, Motorola Aura... remain high, around 10 million VND.

Many old 2G phone models are still circulating in the mobile market. Photo: NVCC

Talking to VietNamNet, Mr. Xuan T.D, a dealer of antique phones, said that most of these models are imported to Vietnam by hand-carry. In addition to old, used models, there are also sealed, unopened "brick" phones to serve collectors. According to Mr. Xuan, the business of "brick" phones in Vietnam used to be quite good. However, since the policy of turning off 2G waves, the consumption of this item has decreased sharply. When he was still making money, there was a time when the owner of this store imported 300 - 400 Nokia phones per week; But now, sales have decreased by 60% compared to the beginning of the year, with only 20 - 30 orders consumed per month. " I am switching to making a living by taking away coffee, the phone store is just maintaining and selling to make extra money to get by, " said the owner of this store. Mr. D.V. Thanh, the owner of a stall selling antique phones in Hanoi, is also facing a similar situation as fewer and fewer people are looking to buy phones, especially after the policy of turning off 2G waves. “ There are still people looking to buy antique phones, mainly those who have the purpose of collecting. Currently, they tend to switch to 3G phones more. I saw on TV that the 2G waves will be completely cut off in 2026, I don't know what will happen after that, ” said Thanh. Like many mobile users, antique phone shop owners are confused, waiting for the fate of “brick” phones in Vietnam. According to the roadmap to stop 2G mobile technology in Vietnam, from September 16, 2024, telecommunications networks will stop providing services for terminal devices that only support the GSM (2G) standard. That also means that if only 2G network technology is supported, after that time, "brick" phones will literally become antiques. This regulation is only an exception for the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos, DK platforms or subscribers using it for the purpose of transmitting and receiving data between devices (M2M). The announcement of the Ministry of Information and Communications also clearly states that the GSM (2G) mobile information system will continue to be used until September 15, 2026, except for the case of providing services in the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos, DK platforms. However, the Ministry of Information and Communications also affirmed that it will only re-license the 900MHz/1,800MHz band for 2G if the network operators have a plan to ensure that there are no more subscribers using 2G-only phones operating on the network from September 16, 2024.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tat-song-2g-dien-thoai-cuc-gach-sap-bi-khai-tu-2301567.html