VietNamNet Bridge – The Government has given the go-ahead to the Ministry of Information and Communications to apply a flat rate on all domestic land-lines of every telecom company in Viet Nam.

This means that starting next year, land-line calls will cost VND200 per minute irrespective of the destination of the call within the country.

Currently, charges range from VND120 for local calls to VND400-700 for inter-provincial calls.

In addition, monthly subscriptions fees will also be reduced to VND20,000 from the current VND27,000.

The decision was made in the hope of increasing telephone use in rural and remote areas.

Meanwhile, the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the country’s biggest telecom company, has already applied flat rates to several of its phone services this month, hoping to increase land-line phone use.

A flat rate of VND1,000 per minute is now being applied to all inter-provincial calls for VNPT’s fixed phone subscribers, a reduction of 20 per cent.

The same rate is also being applied to calls from VNPT’s fixed telephones to all Vinaphone mobile phones (subscribers and pre-paid customers) and from Vinaphone post-paid mobiles to fixed phones, a 30 per cent cut.

Meanwhile, calls from mobile Vinaphone subscribers to all its mobile subscribers (subscribers and pre-paid customers) now VND1,000 per minute down by 20 per cent.

According to the Mini try of Planning and Investment, by the end in November 2008, Viet Nam had 75 million telephone subscribers, representing 82 phones per 100 residents with mobile phone subscribers accounting for nearly 81 per cent.

(Source: Viet Nam News)