Nghe An basically completed the conversion of subscribers from 2G to 4G.
Information from major network operators in Nghe An such as VinaPhone, Viettel, MobiFone said that the conversion of SIM cards and phones from 2G to 4G has been carried out in the past time and is now basically completed.
Officially turn off 2G waves
According to Circular No. 10/2024/TT-BTTTT of the Ministry of Information and Communications, starting today (October 15), network operators will officially stop 2G technology nationwide. Subscribers using 2G technology devices will be locked in both directions and cannot continue to use them.
After more than 30 years of deployment in Vietnam, 2G technology has gradually become outdated and no longer suitable for the trend. Upgrading to 4G and 5G helps people switch to using higher quality services; including many convenient services such as: online public administration, cashless payment, access to information through applications when accessing the internet; contributing to the completion of the goal of "One smartphone per person", popularizing smartphones to all Vietnamese people.
According to statistics from network operators, currently in Nghe An province there are about 370,080 active 2G mobile subscribers, mainly from Viettel, VinaPhone, MobiFone... These are also people using 2G Only phones or so-called "brick" phones.
Implementing the policy of the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Department of Information and Communications of Nghe An province promptly issued Official Dispatch No. 357/STTTT-CĐS dated February 29, 2024 directing the People's Committees of districts, cities, towns, press agencies, and telecommunications enterprises in the area to propagate and disseminate to all officials, employees and people about the policy and plan to stop 2G mobile technology; convert 2G only phones to 4G phones and smartphones to popularize 4G mobile network services and popularize smart mobile phones in Vietnam.
According to the reporter's records on October 15, at the service centers of major network operators in Nghe An such as VinaPhone, Viettel, MobiFone, there were customers coming to ask for support in switching to 4G technology. Mr. Nguyen Ba Hung, Truong Thi ward, Vinh city said: I have been using a brick phone for many years, after hearing that 2G phones would have their signals cut off, I was afraid that my SIM would be locked and I would not be able to make calls, so I had to ask the staff to help me switch to 4G to continue using it.
Ms. Le Thai Ha - Deputy Sales Director of VNPT VinaPhone Nghe An said: Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications; VinaPhone Nghe An has deployed support for converting 2G to 4G for local people since the beginning of the year through many forms. In addition to direct consultation through calls, text messages, and VinaPhone's information pages, the unit also coordinated with local authorities to propagate on the loudspeaker system, directly to cultural houses of blocks and hamlets to support people, combined with the post office system and phone points of sale across the province to support people to upgrade to 4G technology.
“As of October 15, over 25,000 subscribers using VinaPhone’s 2G technology in Nghe An have been supported to switch to 4G. The remaining few are mainly inactive or unreachable subscribers and will be contacted to complete the conversion as soon as possible,” Ms. Le Thai Ha shared.
In Nghe An, Viettel network has the largest number of subscribers using 2G. A representative of Viettel Nghe An said that, implementing the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications, with many drastic measures, from the beginning of 2024 until now, Viettel Nghe An has successfully converted nearly 99% of customers using 2G to 4G, basically completed. For the remaining subscribers, most of whom are people in difficult circumstances, living in remote areas, areas that have just experienced natural disasters, storms and floods and have not had the conditions to upgrade to 4G, they will continue to be supported for free conversion in the coming time.
Regarding MobiFone network in Nghe An, according to statistics, there are about 15,000 active 2G subscribers. The representative of this network said that the conversion to 4G technology has also been carried out drastically in the past peak months, and has now basically completed the conversion to 4G according to instructions.
Maximum support for people
In fact, although the support for people to switch from 2G to 4G by network operators in recent times has achieved many remarkable results, the implementation at the grassroots level for the remaining subscribers still faces certain difficulties.
A representative of VinaPhone Nghe An network said: The number of subscribers who have not been converted is mainly the elderly, people living in rural areas, remote areas, and especially difficult areas. These are the subjects with lower access to information, facing income barriers, so it is difficult to replace the phone. Therefore, convincing mobile users to give up 2G "brick" phones is also a barrier. Not to mention that there are currently many scammers over the phone, there are cases where network staff contacted to advise on switching to 4G but people were skeptical and did not trust.
Mr. Hoang Xuan Hanh - Head of the Department of Culture - Information of Tan Ky district said: The policy of converting 2G technology to 4G is completely in line with the current digital transformation trend, therefore, when the network operators deployed at the grassroots level, the district also directed the communes to strengthen coordination so that this work could take place quickly and smoothly. However, due to the mountainous area, people's lives are still difficult, a part of the people have not yet fully realized the importance of this policy, therefore, the propaganda and mobilization of people to implement also encountered certain barriers.
However, with the motto of not leaving anyone behind, representatives of the network operators said that after October 15, they will continue to deploy staff to continuously support people 24/7 to switch to 4G for free. In parallel, the network operators have policies to support people such as giving 4G technology phones to poor households, supporting the cost of buying 4G feature phones or 4G smartphones, and issuing packages to support subscribers to switch.
Notably, in addition to data fee incentives, network operators have also prepared low-cost 4G phones at around 400,000 VND/phone for voice and text messaging services only, suitable for the majority of consumers' budgets. In particular, elderly customers, the disabled, the sick, and those with difficulty traveling will receive support at home from network operators' staff.
With the drastic participation of local authorities, telecommunications network operators and the consensus of the people, the conversion of mobile technology from 2G to 4G in Nghe An province under the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications has achieved certain results, contributing to improving the province's digital infrastructure and digital transformation index, helping people to access public services and transact online at high speed./.
