The Hanoi Times - Deputy PM Nguyen Thien Nhan issued instructions o­n Saturday providing that Vietnamese telecommunications companies would be given priority to use certain positions within the country's satellite orbit. These companies could more effectively plan the launch of telecommunications satellites, either by themselves or in co-operation with a foreign partner, he said.

If Vietnamese enterprises have not applied to use certain orbit positions, the applications of foreign-invested enterprises will be considered based o­n Vietnamese law or international treaties to which Viet Nam has agreed, with the Government making final approval.

The deputy prime minister also asked the Ministry of Finance to draft and issue regulations o­n fees related to the use of satellite orbit positions.

In other aspects of telecommunications law, both foreign-invested and domestic enterprises would be eligible to provide telecommunications services and build telecommunications infrastructure, under a draft law being circulated for comment by the Ministry of Information and Communication.

The law would replace the 2002 Ordinance o­n Posts and Telecommunications.

With provisions specific to the telecommunications industry, including unfair competition, investment and ownership and other issues, the law would allow enterprises to function in the sector in an equal and transparent environment.

All telecommunications assets, including broadcast frequencies, number resource, and domain names, would be managed in line with the market system and assigned by auction or examination.

The draft law would also stipulates that the planning of telecom works is an indispensable part of construction planning for urban areas, industrial parks, export processing zones, hi-tech parks and economic zones, in order to facilitate the provision and use of telecommunications services.

Viet Nam's first telecommunications satellite, Vinasat 1, was successfully launched in April of this year.