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Canada Primes for a Mobile Data Gold Rush
March 10, 2010
Sky Faces Limited Horizons in Central America
March 8, 2010
Bharti’s African Adventure
February 24, 2010
FTTH Price Premiums: Enjoy Them While They Last
February 19, 2010
Millicom Keeps Profits Stable in Central America
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The Next Challenge for Claro: Watch Those Margins
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Emerging Markets Make the Most of SMS
February 3, 2010
Emerging Market Operators Go Underground
January 29, 2010
Buying Shelf Space at the App Store
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Clearwire and Its Fuzzy WiMAX Outlook
January 22, 2010
3G Stock Rises in Eastern Europe
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China Preps for a High-Fiber Future
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Social Networking Goes Mobile in Africa
January 4, 2010
In Bulgaria, Expect a Cable Boom to Follow the Latest Merger
December 23, 2009
Lagging Its Regional Peers, ICE Debuts Its 3G Network in Costa Rica
December 21, 2009
Israel, the Land of Mergers and Acquisitions
December 18, 2009
Fishing for Tots and Old Holy Rollers
December 16, 2009
In Costa Rica, RACSA Reaches for the Clouds
December 1, 2009
Why BlackBerry Will Be No. 1 by 2014
November 9, 2009
Thailand Inches Closer to 3G
November 6, 2009
Nicaragua Plays Russian Roulette with WiMAX
November 4, 2009
Broadband, Italian Style: Lower Price, Lower Uptake
November 3, 2009
LA Mobile Operators Turn a Deaf Ear to Ringtones
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Ghana Has Fun with Numbers
October 30, 2009
GSMA Mobile Asia Congress: More Relevant Than Ever
October 27, 2009
Incumbent TP Stays Intact, but Competition in Poland Will Heat up
October 23, 2009
Hurdles until the End for 3G in Thailand
October 21, 2009
In Europe, Multiplay Fever Spreads East
October 20, 2009
Panama Swamped by Mobile Saturation
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Anti-Piracy Moves Boost VoD Prospects in China
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English Football Goes Cut-Rate in Singapore
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Guatemala Tax Plan Could Stymie Mobile Voice Traffic
October 13, 2009
Russia Goes on a High-Fiber Diet
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Why Vodafone Needs 3G in Turkey
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Singapore F1, SingTel and the Need for Speed
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Turkey Faces Big Mobile ARPS Squeeze
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Mobile Uptake in Africa: Competition Is Key
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Orange Is the Top Pick for T-Mobile UK Joint-Venture
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Nokia and Its New Cash Machine: Mobile Banking
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Mobile Broadband Says Nyet to Recession
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Vodafone kills two birds with one customer loyalty program
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Mobile Gaming: A Pirate-Free Future?
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Telefónica and Its Looming Subscriber Challenge
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Five Vietnamese Operators Win 3G Licenses
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Thai Operators Put Aside $1.2bn for 3G Capex
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Mobile Markets in Central Asia: The Right Conditions for Growth
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Telco IPTV Continues to Deliver
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Mobile Finance Arrives at a Regulatory Crossroads in Africa
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Five Vietnamese Operators Win 3G Licenses

April 14, 2009

Given all the talk surrounding 3G license awards and delays in China and India, it was perhaps easy to overlook the award of 3G licenses in Vietnam on April 2, 2009 (see Capex in Asia-Pacific). Vietnam, however, is set to become one of the largest markets in Asia, with 120m subscriptions by the end of 2014, a figure on par with Japan’s current subscription base. It will also be one of the fastest growing: We expect Vietnamese operators to add 53m subscriptions over the next five years. This will also make it an attractive market for 3G equipment over the next few years. Assuming 3G is commercially offered by the end of the year, we believe that Vietnam will have approximately 43m 3G subscribers, or 36% of total subscribers, by 2014 (see Mobile Demand Forecast, Q1 09).

In total, the Vietnamese regulator awarded four licenses to five operators (one license was awarded to joint bidders). Three of the four licensees went to Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone – the expected winners since these three are the largest operators in Vietnam and command approximately 85% of subscriptions at year-end 2008. The last license was given to EVN Telecom and Hanoi Telecom, which jointly applied for 3G spectrum. CDMA operator S-Fone and newcomer GTel were the two that failed to win spectrum. Vietnamese regulator MIC will officially grant licenses three months following the April 2, 2009, announcement, assuming the winners meet license requirements. The regulator has also mandated that winning bidders begin 3G commercial services within nine months of receiving the licenses.

Second-largest mobile operator MobiFone says that it will start providing 3G services in the third quarter of 2009 and that it will divide its 3G equipment purchases between three vendors: Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Huawei Technologies. All in all, the four licensees have pledged a combined US$2bn in 3G Capex investment over the next three years, a significant sum in the context of a market that generated just slightly more than $3.2bn in service revenue in 2008.

— Tae-Hyung Kim, Analyst

Related content:

Capex in Asia-Pacific: Driven by 3G in China, Spending to Rise Despite Global Downturn
Telecom Insider published February 2009
This report analyzes the drivers that make investing in infrastructure imperative for operators in Asia-Pacific, economic downturn or not. It puts the revenue generated in Asia into a global context and looks at the plans for future Capex in both developed and emerging markets in the region. The report also discusses vendors and which ones will be able to gain market share during these trying times. Three case studies, on NTT Docomo, China Mobile and Bharti Airtel, focus on the Capex plans of the main players in Japan, China and India, providing metrics such as Capex as a percentage of service revenue.

Communications Markets in Vietnam
Country Intelligence Report published June 2008
Pyramid Research expects Vietnam to be one of Asia Pacific's fastest growing markets, with total telecom service revenue increasing at a CAGR of 12.9% during the 2007-2012 forecast period, against the regional average of 5.0%. The main growth engine will be the mobile sector, both voice and data, while the fixed sector enjoys growth in broadband services. Demand for faster Internet connection will keep the market growing as dial-up subscribers switch to DSL services. This Country Intelligence Report analyzes Vietnam's communications, media and technology industries, including key trends, regulatory pressures and the competitive landscape, making it an excellent complement to our Forecast products.

Regional and Country-level Mobile Data Forecasts, Q1 2009
Forecasts published March 2009
Updated on a quarterly basis, our Mobile Data Forecast products provide complete pictures of demand trends for 81 geographical markets worldwide. The Excel output includes five years of historical data and five years of market projections for metrics such as penetration, mobile subscriptions (by type of package, by operator or MVNO and by network technology), users of specific data services (SMS, music, etc.), MOU, ARPS (by operator, by subscription type, by service, by application) and revenue (by messaging and non-messaging applications). The Forecasts are based on extensive field research and use a consistent methodology, aiming to capture the total spending on mobile data services in each market.

Mobile Advertising in Emerging Markets: Market Trends and Strategies for the Third Screen
Research Report published February 2009
Leading operators are pushing a variety of advertising methods, from sponsored messaging and alert services to more sophisticated content over mobile portals, and mobile advertising will markedly boost mobile data service revenue. This report looks at mobile advertising initiatives and the revenue potential in emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania, Russia, South Africa and Turkey. We also put our findings in context by making comparisons with global trends and developed markets, such as the US and UK.





 


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