Mobile network operators all say internet access from mobile devices are booming in Vietnam, and becoming popular.

The service is installed automatically on sim cards, and users do not need to register to use the service with network operators.

3G subscribers

Nguyen Dang Nguyen, deputy general director of MobiFone, one of the three largest mobile networks in Vietnam, said the network had seen a 50 percent increase in  3G traffic since the end of 2013, and the number of 3G subscribers had increased rapidly.

Ngo Manh Hung, deputy general director of Viettel Telecom, said the number of subscribers using data services had reached 9 million by the end of July.

VinaPhone has also reported a sharp increase in the number of 3G subscribers and 3G traffic, noting that 2G services have been on the decrease.

A report of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) showed that there were about 20 million 3G subscribers, and that there is a high demand for data instead of voice services.

Networks sell phones to lure 3G sales

Retailers reported that the sale of smartphones have exceeded other kind of mobile phones since 2012, contributing to the rising use of 3G services.

Viettel, the military telco, has recently joined hands with Qualcomm to implement a cooperation project to make low-cost smartphones for Vietnamese users, a part of the program to increase the use of 3G services.

The price of smartphones will be determined by Viettel. However, in principle, the products will be cheap enough to be affordable to people in rural and remote areas.

Some sources said Viettel was considering subsidizing products when selling them in some areas.

However, Viettel will not take losses when selling smartphones at low prices.

The profits it expects from smartphone buyers, who use 3G services, will be much higher than the sums of money spent by Viettel on the subsidization program.

Free services

According to MIC, there are three basic services provided with sim cards on smartphones, including voice, SMS and data services.

The representatives of the largest networks, such as MobiFone, VinaPhone and Viettel, have confirmed they began to provide data services automatically to all users, after they discovered that demand for 3G services was very high.

As a result, smartphone users do not have to register to use data services, because the services are integrated in simcards.

Network operators recently announced that the 3G speed had increased by six times to 42Mbps.