VNPT Group, the largest post and telecom service provider in Vietnam, has announced the long-awaiting call charge cuts applied to its VinaPhone and MobiFone mobile phone networks after its reception of an approval from the Ministry of Posts and Telecom.
This is the first time in the last two years VNPT Group, or Vietnam Posts and Telecoms Group in full, is allowed to cut call charge fees because of it holding the lion’s market share.
“To bring the most benefits to our clients, VNPT Group will apply the 6+1 second billing mechanism,” a VNPT official said. The 6+1 second method is calculated with the beginning of the first six second block and then second-by-second block increments.
Postpaid call charges will now be billed at VND173 per initial six-second block and VND25 from the next second onwards.
Prepaid rates will be VND254 for the initial block and VND41 for each following seconds.
For daily subscriptions to VinaPhone and MobiFone, charges will be VND170 for the first fixed six-second block and VND28 each of the following seconds.
The new billing method is to take effect from June 1.
VNPT is the last mobile phone network provider to get approval for the application of the 6+1 billing method in Vietnam where the three other networks of Viettel, E-Mobile and S-Fone are operating.
However, SMS costs and monthly subscription fees will remain unchanged.
The SMS fee is VND350 for intra-net sending and VND400 for sending to other mobile phone networks in the country.
The monthly subscription, which is only applicable to postpaid subscribers, stands now at VND69,000.
Vietnam now has more than 11 million mobile phone subscribers with the State-run VNPT Group’s VinaPhone and MobiFone being the largest with a combined subscriber population of over seven million. The remainder belong to Viettel (three million) and S-Fone (half a million). Subscriptions to E-Mobile run by EVN Telecom are unavailable as it has just joined the market.
VnExpress
Vietnamese
