Vinaphone, MobiFone Likely to Reduce Phone Charges by 25 per cent

Vinaphone, MobiFone Likely to Reduce Phone Charges by 25 per cent

Vinaphone and MobiFone, the two largest mobile carriers in Vietnam, will likely cut their call charges by 25 per cent starting on July 1 if the Ministry of Post & Telecoms gives the move a nod, a local newspaper reported.

Vietnam Post & Telecommunication Corp. (VNPT), which operates the two networks, has submitted the charge reduction plan to the ministry for approval.

The plan also proposes the application of a 15/20-second block to calculate charges instead of the current 30-second block.

The charge reduction is expected to keep the networks’ current subscribers from switching to other mobile phone networks, which have lower call charges and subscription fees.

Viettel Mobile and S-Fone networks already employ the six-second and 10-second blocks respectively. Many subscribers have reportedly unsubscribed from Vinaphone and MobiFone to switch to Viettel Mobile over the last few months.

Currently, Vinaphone and MobiFone are applying the highest rate for sending SMS at VND500 each. The SMS rate has remained the same since the two networks came into operation.