On October 11, the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) coordinated with VietNamNet Newspaper and the Information Center (Ministry of Information and Communications) to organize a discussion "Turn off 2G waves before G hour" . The Ministry of Information and Communications set a target of completing the shutdown of 2G technology by September 15 at the latest, but due to the impact of the historic storm Yagi, the deadline was postponed to October 15 to ensure information needs during the necessary time, supporting businesses and people to promptly overcome the damage.

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The seminar "Turn off 2G before G-hour" was organized by the Department of Telecommunications in coordination with VietNamNet Newspaper and the Information Center (Ministry of Information and Communications) on the afternoon of October 11 at the Department of Telecommunications' headquarters. Photo: Thach Thao

As of now, there are only about 700,000 active 2G Only subscribers, accounting for less than 1% of the total number of subscribers. Specifically, the number of 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 a few thousand, Mobicast 423. Most of these customers live in remote areas, are often elderly, and have little need to use the service.

Sharing at the discussion, the network operators said that in the past, they have made efforts to communicate to the customer groups that have not yet converted, using direct and indirect measures. However, in the implementation process, some difficulties have arisen. Mr. Nguyen Trong Tinh, Deputy General Director of Viettel shared that the remaining 2G Only subscribers do not have much demand for use, leading to difficulty in contacting; others are in the most remote areas so employees have not been able to reach them.

In addition to the communication issue, Mr. Do Manh Dung, acting Director of VinaPhone's Personal Customer Department, pointed out other difficulties that this network operator faces, such as a number of users only changing their phones when they cannot use the service, or due to the impact of storms and floods, many areas are inaccessible and people focus on restoring their personal lives before paying attention to other activities.

However, according to Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha - Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications), from the perspective of the management agency, the results achieved by the network operators are truly impressive and demonstrate the great determination of the enterprises if we consider that by January, Vietnam still had more than 18 million 2G Only subscribers. In addition to the efforts of the enterprises, there is also the participation of media agencies, newspapers, and television to accompany the communication of the policies of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

After October 15, according to regulations, about 700,000 2G Only subscribers will have their two-way service stopped. Representatives of the Telecommunications Department emphasized that businesses need to continue analyzing customer behavior to ensure the best interests.

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Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha, Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) suggested that network operators continue to have customer care policies to convert 2G Only subscribers to 4G terminals, ensuring consumer rights. Photo: Thach Thao

With the number of subscribers who have not yet received information, even though there are only a few, the network operators should not ignore and fulfill their responsibility to take care of customers. Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha directed the network operators to continue to meet directly with users and to strengthen further before the deadline for shutting down 2G waves. In addition, it is necessary to create new forms of communication in addition to traditional methods such as OTT messages, SMS, and customer care. He also asked the press agencies to accompany state agencies and telecommunications enterprises to communicate to subscribers.

“After October 15, the responsibility of the business is to maintain the phone number, package, and policy with the old subscriber. Users can continue to go to the service provider or through the phone number to receive full instructions for the conversion,” said the Deputy Director of the Telecommunications Department. “I hope that the interests of users will be prioritized by the network operator so that communication is not interrupted.”

For subscribers whose services were stopped after October 15, Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha suggested that the network operator continue to have a customer care policy to convert these subscribers to 4G terminals, ensuring consumer rights.

Sharing at the discussion, representatives of the network operators informed about the policy of ensuring benefits for 2G Only subscribers after October 15. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dung, Deputy Head of MobiFone Telecommunications Services Department, said that the network operator blocks the device but still retains the account and subscription for customers. VinaPhone continues to maintain the policy of giving away devices, supporting devices; taking care of customers at service points or directly at home. Meanwhile, Viettel proposed a special policy for the remaining 2G Only subscribers, which is not to have their accounts locked, and their numbers withdrawn to the warehouse if they do not use the service for two months.

In response to Viettel's proposal, Mr. Nguyen Phong Nha affirmed: "With the goal of protecting consumers' interests in the best way, we support policies and solutions to provide continuous services as well as solutions to protect customers."