Vietnam’s second mobile virtual network debuts
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's second mobile virtual network called
Reddi, with the numeral prefix 055, was rolled out by operator Mobicast in
Hanoi on June 3.
The new network, the seventh in the country, uses the mobile
phone infrastructure of the State-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications
Group (VNPT), which boasts among the best coverage and quality in the country.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, VNPT Deputy General Director
Huynh Quang Liem said the cooperation between Mobicast JSC and VNPT takes place in
the context that the Mobile Virtual
Network Operator (MVNO) is emerging strongly in Asia.
The deal is expected to help each side to take advantages
of their own strengths in order to create the best values and optimize benefits
for users, he added.
Vietnam is one of the youngest MVNO markets in the world,
with its first virtual operator – the Indochina Telecom Company (Itelecom) –
launched in April this year.
A virtual network operator does not own network
infrastructure but rather purchases telecommunications services from traditional
mobile network operators (MNO) and resells network services after repackaging
at lower prices.
The pioneering Itelecom has entered into an agreement with
Vinaphone, a mobile subsidiary of VNPT, which gives it access to the company’s
network services and allows it to offer its own. The prefix of its mobile
service is 087.
In its initial phase, Itelecom is being introduced to
workers at industrial zones in nine cities and provinces: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh
City, Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Binh Duong, Long An, and
Dong Nai./.