According to an anonymous source, HT Mobile has asked the Ministry of Information and Communications’ permission to move its mobile network from CDMA-based to GSM-based standards.

The source said that officials met on January 3 to consider HT Mobile’s (a joint venture between the US’ Hutchison group and Hanoi Telecom) application. Though HT Mobile has not confirmed the information, as of September 2007 they stopped investing in infrastructure facilities.

GSM-based networks are favored by Vietnamese mobile users over CDMA-based networks, even though CDMA is more modern than GSM technology. Of the six mobile networks in Vietnam, only HT Mobile and Saigon Postel use CDMA technology and both have seen poor business results.

Altimo, one of the biggest telecom groups in Russia, has released its mobile development indexes, in which Southeast Asian nations are the best places for mobile network investors. According to RJB Consultants, Vietnam’s Average Revenue per User (ARPU), a significant indicator for the success of mobile operators, in 2004 was around US$18/subscriber, $3 more than ARPU calculated by Vietnamese telecom companies and proving that Vietnam is a hot destination for telecom investors.

However, the latest survey by the Ministry of Information and Communications shows that the average ARPU of mobile networks in Vietnam is $6.5/user at the end of 2007 while the even breaking point is $7/user.

(Source: TBKTVN)