Vietnam is preparing to apply 4G (fourth-generation network) technologyfrom 2015. However, industry insiders said the country should be in norush to make the switch, as moving to 4G would involve significantinvestment in infrastructure and require end users to buy new mobilephones.

Huawei Vietnam's General Director Yuan Song said that 3Gwas only introduced in Vietnam in 2009 and was still in the fast growthstage.

Thieu Phuong Nam, General Director of Qualcomm in Vietnam,Laos and Cambodia, pointed out that while the world was converting to4G, Vietnam's 3G market share was still on the rise and therefore thecountry should not be in a hurry to upgrade.

Vietnam had fewer 3G users than developed nations, where 70-80 percent of mobile phone owners used 3G, he said.

Pointingout that Vietnam's service fees were the lowest in the world andquality was continuously improving, he suggested that 4G be consideredonly after the 3.5G network was introduced.

Earlier this year,the Ministry of Information and Communications reported that it had nointention of encouraging the immediate application of 4G technology inorder to safeguard mobile network operators.

The ministry statedthat licensces for mobile operators to provide 4G services would bedelayed until at least 2015, after service providers had completed testruns and an assessment of market demand for the new technology had beenmade.

Five mobile operators have already been allowed to runbasic 4G trials since 2010. 4G promises much faster mobile and Internetconnections than 3G.

Another issue under consideration is which frequency band to use for 4G long-term evolution (LTE).

LTE,marketed as 4G LTE, refers to the wireless communication of high-speeddata used by mobile phones and data terminals. According to the RadioFrequency Department at the Ministry of Information and Communications,the waveband for LTE 4G in Vietnam needs to be used and supported byother countries. Even more importantly, it needs to be compatible withRiPE technology, which is affordable for most Vietnamese users.

Whilethe Vietnamese telecommunications market has grown rapidly, it is stillcontrolled by three large network providers (Viettel, Mobifone andVinafone) which see total annual turnover of 5.5 billion USD.

Vietnamhas around 20 million 3G subscribers out of over 130 million mobilephone users, according to the Ministry of Information andCommunications.-VNA