Vietnam's IT-Telecom Revenues +39.1 per cent to US$5.6 Bln in 2008

Vietnam’s information technology (IT) and telecoms sector made revenues of nearly VND93 trillion (US$5.6 billion) in 2008, a 39.1 per cent increase on 2007.

 

The IT industry alone earned revenue of US$4.5 billion, up by 20 per cent over 2007. The export turnover from electronic and telecom products reached US$2.4 billion.

 

By the end of 2008, the sector had registered 79.1 million telephone subscribers, or 92.6 telephones per 100 people. Of the figure, 85.5 per cent are mobile subscribers.

 

An additional 1.5 million internet subscribers registered for services in 2008, or a 28 per cent year-on-year increase, bringing the total number of internet subscribers to 20.67 million and reaching a density of 24.2 per cent.

 

With the results, the information technology (IT) and telecoms sector made an impressive growth in 2008 despite global economic and financial difficulties, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan at the sector’s conference on tasks for 2009 on January 2.

 

Minister of Information and Communications Le Doan Hop said that in 2009 the sector aims to gain growth rate of 50 per cent with focus on plans to bring internet services to schools and rural areas, open a channel of news for foreigners and an online Q&A service on the ministry’s website.

 

The Ministry of Information and Communications plans to lower cable lines underground in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and speed up training of young personnel.

 

Vietnam will be one of the leading ICT countries in Southeast Asia in the near future. The country expects that the ICT industry will bring in US$6 billion-US$7 billion in revenue by 2010. (The People, Investment, Saigon Liberation)