Many are believed to be falsifying their subscription number figures in order to attract more customers.
In 2005-06 both MobiFone and Vinaphone claimed to have the biggest number of subscribers in Viet Nam.
However, after the ministry checked they discovered that the biggest operator in terms of subscribers was actually Viettel.
The 3G (third generation) segment has experienced the same problem. In 2010, mobile network operators reported they had a combined 3G subscription of 14 million while the ministry said the number stood at just seven million. The mobile phone market is growing quickly. The number of subscribers skyrocketing in recent years from 19 million in 2006 to 98 million in 2009, and now 123.5 million so far in 2012.
The ministry letter asked network operators to send monthly reports relating to their customer databases.
The letter follows the ministry's decision late last month to request more connections between the customer databases of mobile network operators and the ministry's own data centre.
The ministry say the move will help them supervise the number of mobile subscribers, phone tariffs and promotions, which will enable them to enforce prompt and efficient policies affecting the mobile market.
They have announced that the country's three biggest operators – Viettel, Vinaphone and MobiFone – will be required to report first and connect to the new system, with smaller operators following soon after.
However, telecom companies have warned that the ministry should carefully consider which reports are really necessary, or risk being burdened by a surplus of data.
"Having to send too many reports would be a nightmare for us," said a representative from the VNPT Group.
Meanwhile, a senior official from Ha Noi Telecom asked for more clarity, and said the organisation was unclear whether reports have to be sent to the provincial or municipal departments of Information and Communications.
The head of the telecom department at the ministry, Phan Hong Hai, said that provincial departments will receive reports and share them with the ministry.
Source: VietNamNet/VNS
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