Vietnam may consider stopping 3G network in the next 1-2 years

The 3G network was licensed for pilot use in Vietnam in 2009. After 14 years of operation, most users have now abandoned it and switched to 4G technology with better signal quality and speed, covering 99% of the population. Sharing at a recent event in Hanoi, Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) Nguyen Phong Nha said that "we will consider stopping the 3G network in the next 1-2 years".

"The policy of turning off 2G waves and then stopping 3G networks will be an important content in the plan from 2023 to 2026. When turning off 2G and 3G, we still have 4G, which is a technology that is providing good internet access services, meeting the current needs of users," Mr. Nha emphasized.

3G network failed and may soon be completely replaced by 4G

Vietnam is following the global trend of preparing to turn off the 2G network (from September 2024) and moving towards the 3G network to make way for newer technologies. In the US, carriers have turned off 2G since 2017 and will cut 3G at the three largest companies in 2022. In Europe, many carriers even turned off 3G before 2G because the old technology still serves M2M (machine-to-machine) connections, switchboards, emergency numbers, and service testing, so it cannot be stopped immediately.

"The 3G network was created for data (internet connection data), but it was not successful. But 4G is very successful in terms of data, so they want to remove 3G from the network," said former Director of the Radio Frequency Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) Doan Quang Hoan.

In Vietnam, some Vietnamese network operators have gradually turned off 3G base transceiver stations (BTS) in low-demand areas, encouraging users to switch to 4G. Mr. Nguyen Trong Tinh - Deputy General Director of Viettel Telecom said that the 3G subscribers on the unit's system are currently about 2%, after customers have almost all switched to using 4G.

Shutting down 2G and 3G waves helps network operators save a lot of operating and maintenance costs, and at the same time have conditions to invest more in 4G, 5G and later 6G network technology. According to GSMA's report, as of mid-2023, 149 network operators in the world have been implementing plans to shut down old waves. Of which, the majority of advanced countries choose to shut down 2G with a rate of 63% in Europe, more than 20% in Asia.

Turn off 2G, 3G and simultaneously free up the "golden band" 900 MHz for use in 4G, 5G networks. Many developed countries consider this an extremely valuable resource due to its wider coverage advantage, thereby reducing the number of stations by about half compared to the 1,800 MHz band while still providing equivalent coverage and better network quality.

With the shutdown of 2G and the move towards stopping 3G network technology, Vietnam will be left with 4G and 5G networks. While 4G has been stable and widely accepted by users, the 5th generation network is still in the experimental stage and has not been commercialized, although since May 2019, Vietnam has been listed among the first countries to successfully establish a 5G phone call.

At the end of 2021, Vietnam set a goal of commercializing the 5G network in 2022, aiming to promote people to use smartphones and reduce the number of 2G phones to less than 5% for the plan to turn off this old telecommunications network technology nationwide. The government also set a goal of 5G coverage to 25% of the population by 2025. However, with just over 20 days left until the end of 2023, the above plan and goal have not yet been realized.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-co-the-xem-xet-dung-mang-3g-trong-1-2-nam-toi-185231206114649071.htm