11-digit subscribers will be converted to 10 digits.

In response to rumors on social networks about not converting current 11-digit subscribers to 10-digit subscribers, Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung, Director of the Department of Telecommunications, said that 11-digit subscribers will be converted to 10 digits according to the approved number storage plan..

Some newspapers posting news on online markets specializing in SIM cards in recent days have been spreading information about a document said to be a "response announcement" from the Ministry of Information and Communications, which said that the implementation of the policy of shortening 11-digit subscriber numbers will be postponed to the second quarter of 2018 instead of September 2017 as planned. Some traders even confirmed that 11-digit SIM cards will not return to 10 digits. This information has caused a stir in the SIM card market and many traders have quickly posted SIMs for sale at a loss.

Responding to ICTnews on the afternoon of June 20, 2017, Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung, Director of the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications) denied this rumor. Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung said that 11-digit subscribers will be converted to 10-digit according to the plan. After converting subscribers from 11 digits to 10 digits, those 11-digit numbers will be used for subscribers to connect with smart devices.

Previously, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam said that when the conversion of fixed-line area codes is completed on August 31, 2017, we will keep the subscriber numbers and only consolidate the current area codes from 2 to 8 to one 2, the freed area codes from 3 to 8 will be used as mobile network codes. When converting the mobile network code for 11-digit mobile subscribers to 10 digits, we will keep the 7-digit subscriber numbers and replace the network code with network codes from 3 to 8.

The Department of Telecommunications said that after completing the planning for fixed telephone services, the remaining fixed telephone numbers 03, 04, 05, 07, 08 will be used for developing mobile phone subscribers. At that time, the Ministry of Information and Communications will convert the current 11-digit mobile phone subscribers of Viettel, MobiFone, VinaPhone, Vietnamobile, Gtel mobile networks including the numbers 016xxxxxxxx, 012xxxxxxxx, 019xxxxxxxx, 018xxxxxxxx to use the numbers of this fixed service. For example, 11-digit subscribers will be converted to 10-digit subscribers using the numbers planned for current fixed services such as 08xxxxxxxx, 03xxxxxxxx, 05xxxxxxxx. 04xxxxxxxx, 07xxxxxxxx.

The Telecommunications Department said that after changing the area code, the current 11-digit prefixes such as 0166, 0188, 0199... will gradually be converted to other prefixes such as: 03x, 04x, 05x, 07x, 08x. Thus, the last 7 digits of the current 11-digit subscription will be kept the same and only changed to using a fixed prefix. The 10-digit subscriptions currently in use such as 090, 091, 092, 093, 094, 099, 098, 097, 096 will not be affected after the Ministry of Information and Communications issued a policy to re-plan the telecommunications numbering system.

“There are many options for assigning prefixes to mobile networks such as auctions, allocations, etc. Normally, networks and customers prefer prefixes such as 08x, 06x and not prefixes such as 03x, 04x, 07x. However, we cannot confirm that current 11-digit subscribers will be transferred to which of the surplus prefixes after the re-planning of fixed-line area codes: 03x, 04x, 05x, 07x, 08x.

After converting the landline area codes, we will consider converting 11-digit subscribers to 10-digit subscribers. We will have to discuss with network operators to make this conversion have the least impact on customers and network operators," said a representative of the Telecommunications Department.

“With the issuance and implementation of the new Numbering Plan, Vietnam will have over 500 million 10-digit mobile subscribers for people-to-people communication and about 1 billion mobile subscribers for device-to-device communication to develop the Internet of Things. The implementation of this Plan is expected to be completed in 2018. Any delay will greatly affect the development of the digital economy, hinder the development of smart transportation, smart healthcare, smart power systems...”, Deputy Minister Phan Tam said.

According to ICT news