Unlike previous years, mobile networks have not mentioned the plans to reduce call charges. Instead, they have joined the great war of giving bonuses to the subscribers who buy new cards and exempting inner-network call charges.

Clients only buy goods on sales promotion programs

Banners and billboards advertising the sales promotion programs run by telcoms have been hung on all streets of Hanoi. Simcard sales agents in the city say that a habit has taken shape among local residents, that they only purchase cards to “recharge” their mobile phones when mobile service providers offer preferences. Meanwhile, on other days, when users have to pay normal prices, sales go very slowly, and only those people, who need to make urgent calls, come to buy cards on the days.

Small mobile phone networks prove to be the ones who offer biggest preferences to users. Vietnamobile, for example, continuously offers the bonuses to clients which are equal to 300 percent of the face values of the cards. For example, if someone buys a 100,000 dong card, he will have 300,000 dong in his account.

Regarding big mobile networks, according to Buu dien Vietnam, MobiFone remains the big network which has offered the highest number of sales promotion programs.

In general, Viettel and VinaPhone, the other two big mobile networks, only offer one promotion campaign a month, where they offer the gift of 100 percent of the face values of the cards. Meanwhile, MobiFone offers two campaigns a month. Within 10 days of April alone, MobiFone offered such preferences to clients on 7 days, which was carried out in two phases: the first one took place on April 21-24, and the second on April 27-29. Similarly, Mobile Fone has also decided to offer preferences on 7 days in May.

Telcoms rushing to offer free inner-network calls

“Call for 10 minutes and pay for one minute” is the program applied by many mobile network providers since 2010. Especially, in 2011, telcoms have been offering preferences at higher frequency and with bigger bonuses.

MobiGold subscribers, who have registered to joint the sales promotion program launched on April 19, 2010, can enjoy the charge exemption for all the calls with the duration of less than 10 minutes to MobiFone, VinaPhone subscribers and to VNPT’s fixed line subscribers.

Especially, subscribers do not have to pay charges for the calls with the duration of less than 10 minutes to MobiFone, VinaPhone or fixed line subscribers of VNPT until December 31, 2011. In order to enjoy the preferences, users only have to pay the fixed monthly fee of 60,000 dong.

A manager of a big mobile network has admitted that the three big mobile networks are offering nearly the same promotion programs to scramble for clients. The competition among them has become stiff which has put them into a big problem that the service providers nearly cannot make profits. However, the manager said, no one plans to give up the competition; even though all well understand that the competition has badly affected their “health”.

No charge decreases in 2011

All mobile service providers have affirmed that they do not think of reducing charges this year when they have offered big preferences already.

A senior executive of Viettel Telecom said that in the current circumstances, no one would be daring enough to slash the call charges by 15 percent like they did in previous years. “If they do, they will not make profits any more,” he said.

A representative from VinaPhone has also said he has not thought of slashing call charges yet, because the charges have reached the deepest low.

The Ministry of Information and Communication has confirmed that no big mobile network has submitted the plan on slashing call charges so far.

Buu Dien