VIETNAM, 28 NOVEMBER 2008 – Vietnam Mobile Telecom Services Company has awarded a US$48 million contract to French communications giant Alcatel-Lucent to expand wireless communications services in the country.
Alcatel-Lucent Vietnam managing director Raoul Ros said that Vietnam Mobile’s Mobifone network planned to offer new services to meet customer demand for more advanced communication capabilities.
“The contract calls for Alcatel-Lucent to deploy more than 1,400 multi-standard base stations GSM/EDGE latest technology to improve voice and data services over the Mobifone network and to extend coverage and capacity throughout northern Vietnam, “said Ros. “This upgrade will enable Mobifone to offer an enriched mobile phone services portfolio that will include content services, air-provisioning and other advanced services by the end of 2009.”
Mobifone began offering mobile telephony service based on GSM technology 15 years ago, making it the first provider of GSM mobile telephony services in Vietnam.
Young Vietnamese more savvy
Ros said that Vietnamese consumers, especially its young adults, are becoming savvy users of communications technology and expect their mobile phone network to offer services that make it easier to stay in touch with their family, friends and business colleagues.
In addition, he cited research conducted and released by Vietnam’s ministry of communication earlier this year, which showed that Vietnam’s mobile phone service providers grew to more than 48 million subscribers, 90 per cent of which are pre-paid customers. To date, Mobifone has more than 13.5 million subscribers and in the second quarter of the year was ranked No 1 by the ministry for quality of service.
Ros added that Alcatel-Lucent would provide full turn-key services for the implementation of this major network upgrade for Mobifone, scheduled for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2009. The services include project management, installation and deployment as well as radio network engineering services.
“As the strategic technology partner of Mobifone since 1993, Alcatel-Lucent has worked hard to meet Mobifone’s exacting standards as it strives to provide state-of-the-art service to its customers,” said Ros. “Vietnam is an exciting market with a citizenship that eagerly embraces the benefits of top-notch communications technology. Alcatel-Lucent can deliver the world-class solutions that give consumers access to high-speed Internet, top-quality voice and data networks, more personalised services, mobile entertainment anytime-anywhere with ease.”
