The move targets to eliminate 2G technology in the first quarter of 2022
Vietnam will stop both the production and importation of mobile phones with 2G and 3G technology from July 1, according to a new circular from the Ministry of Information and Communications.
The circular on national technical regulations on terrestrial mobile communications equipment regulates that mobile phones manufactured in or imported into Vietnam must use Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) or 4G technology.
This means that all mobile devices with simply 2G, 3G or combined technology are to be prohibited from being produced in or imported into the Southeast Asian nation.
Phones produced and imported before July 1 will be allowed to be sold.
The move targets to eliminate 2G technology by the first quarter of 2022.
Vietnam expects all residents to be using smartphones by 2025 with the strategy of providing ‘made-in-Vietnam’ smartphones for less than US$50 each.
Several phone producers and network providers have signed on to the plan.
As of January, there have been 88 million smartphone users in Vietnam, with 83 million of them 4G capable.
More than 10 million people still use cellphones with 2G technology in the country.
The Ministry of Information and Communications is expected to officially approve 5G services in mid-2021 following two years of trial.
