Vietnam to start completely turning off 2G service from December

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is planning to start completely switching off the 2G network from December 2023 to make room for more modern telecommunication technologies to develop.

The 2G mobile network, first used in Vietnam in 1993, has become outdated and no longer able to meet users’ demand or keep up with the growth of telecoms services.

Given this, the Authority of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), is planning to completely switch off the 2G network.

Director of the authority Nguyen Thanh Phuc said his agency has held meetings with telecoms service providers in Vietnam, and they pledged to start locking 2G-only devices from December 2023.

According to its document issued on September 27, 2022, the MIC has moved to disable the 2G network nationwide. Service providers have also designed technical solutions to eliminate 2G and 3G-only devices.

The complete switch-off is aimed at optimising the frequency reserves to develop more modern telecommunication technologies, including 4G.

The MIC has provided guidance to telecoms service providers in building roadmaps and plans for turning off 2G service and helping users switch to 4G and 5G networks. It targets that the number of 2G mobile subscriptions will decline to about 6 million, or less than 5% of the total, by the end of 2023 and this network will be completely shut down in 2024.

Data of service providers show that there were more than 26 million 2G mobile subscriptions, equivalent to 20% of the 126 mobile subscriptions nationwide, at the start of 2023. It fell to about 23 million as of August.

The switch-off of 2G service has been carried out in many countries such as Japan (2011), Singapore (2017), and China (2021).

As of October 2022, 142 telecoms service providers in 56 countries and territories made plans to shut down 2G and 3G networks, and 51 of them turned off 2G service, according to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association.