Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association proposes not switching off 2G service

However, some analysts say it is still too early since around 65 per cent of Vietnamese are still using 2G.

Under the 2008 Road Traffic Law, service vehicles must be installed with positioning devices to monitor their journeys. Currently, most of the devices operate on the 2G or 2.5G platform. As such, if the 2G service is stopped, it will create a big problem for the management and exploitation of the 300,000 vehicles installed with monitoring devices.

"Since we have already installed positioning devices to monitor our journeys that operate on the 2G platform, it would cost us a lot of money to change over to a new platform." - Duong Van Nghia, Transportation Cooperatives, Ha Giang Province.

The Vietnam Automobile Transport Association has sent a dispatch to the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), asking to set up a roadmap for the 2G frequency switch-off, so that transport enterprises can prepare for it.

"I suggest that we keep 2G since we need a roadmap for ending 2G service. Once we want to end 2G service, we need to take opinions from transport enterprises and authorities. We cannot suddenly switch it off." - Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman, Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association.

In the document to the Ministry of Information and Communication, the association proposed giving transport firms more time to upgrade monitoring devices to ensure the uninterrupted exploitation of vehicles. It also asked for technical solutions to help maintain the operation of the devices running on 2G or 2.5G platforms so as to ease the difficulties faced by device providers and users.