China Unicom Enters Telecom Network in Vietnam

China Unicom, a leading Chinese CDMA mobile phone service provider, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation with Vietnam’s Hanoi Telecom to provide equipment for the latter.

 

Under the deal, China Unicom will supply Hanoi Telecom with wireless data cards, devices and spare parts using CDMA 1000 technology. The two sides agreed to share technology and products related to value added services such as content, applications and mobile services.  

 

The two companies will also jointly launch roaming and other services for mobile phone users. The bilateral cooperation is expected to stimulate a sales boom in cell phone products and services using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology in Vietnam.

 

Hanoi Telecom is cooperating with Hutchison Telecommunications (Vietnam) to provide CDMA mobile phone services. Hanoi Telecom’s mobile network, HT Mobile, is running on a trial basis and expects to begin commercial operation soon.

 

China Unicom is a leading CDMA 1x operator in China and the second largest CDMA cellular operator in the world, with some 33 million CDMA subscribers to date.

 

Vietnam now has six mobile phone service providers serving more than 13 million subscribers. Up to 12 million subscribers are using GMS technology-based networks of VinaPhone, MobiFone and Viettel Mobile. The CDMA technology-supported networks like S-Fone and EVN Telecom have around one million subscribers.