Sunday, June 17, 2012

MobiFone, Vinaphone to merge | Look At Vietnam

MobiFone, Vinaphone to merge

June 16, 2012

Viet Nam mobile giants MobiFone and Vinaphone will merge as scheduled as part of the Government’s restructuring plan for State-owned enterprises, the Ministry of Information and Communications said.
The statement, which ended the long debate and speculation on the fate of the two mobile operators, was made by Minister Nguyen Bac Son during an online conversations with citizens via government web-portal in Ha Noi.
Son said the merge of the two companies was inevitable as it was the best solution for the restructuring of the telecom industry in Viet Nam.
“The ministry will submit the plan for final approval from the Government,” he said.
Son point out that the 88 million population now had some 130 million mobile phone subscribers of which 122 million were prepaid and only 8 million were post-paid.
“This is contrast to the rest of the world where most countries apply strict regulations on prepaid subscription” Son said.
Son said the mobile market competition in Viet Nam was not healthy as most mobile operators here just developed prepaid segments by reducing service prices and applying loose subscription requirements.
After merging, the two mobile service operators would mutually exploit VNPT’s network infrastructure, while the mobile phone numbers of their subscribers would be maintained.
The merger decision came after the Government last year issued a new regulation on telecom ownership, which came into effect on June 1, 2011, stipulating that an investor with more than a 20 per cent stake in one telecom firm cannot own more than 20 per cent in another.
The new rule has forced VNPT, which owns 100 per cent of both VinaPhone and MobiFone, to choose between divesting itself of one operator or merging them.
It is a dilemma because VinaPhone and MobiFone are too lucrative to give up, with the latter contributing half of VNPT’s total profits, market analysts said.
It was understandable that VNPT wanted to merge the two networks. The conglomerate’s profit in 2011 was VND10 trillion (US$470 million), of which 80 per cent came from MobiFone and VinaPhone.
VNS

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.