Telecom giant VNPT sets high growth target

Hanoi (VNA) - The Year of the Buffalo will be the year for the Vietnam Post
and Telecommunications Group to set an ambitious target a high growth rate and a
revenue of 60 trillion VND (3.5 billion USD).

The group will continue to expand and modernise the country's telecom
infrastructure and develop its fixed telephone lines, mobile network and
broadband service.

However, this will be a tough year for the telecommunications sector due to the
global economic downturn. Competition will be fierce since the Government
implemented its open policy for foreign competitors in information technology and
communication.

Meanwhile, the group will continue to cut call charges as required by the
country's commitments to the World Trade Organisation, according to VNPT
spokesman Bui Quoc Viet.

He said the group maintained a high growth last year despite economic
difficulties.

The group earned nearly 55.5 trillion VND last year, an increase of 19 percent
against 2007, and made a contribution of over 6.8 trillion VND to the State
coffers.

In 2008, VNPT fixed phone subscribers reached nearly 22 million, an increase of
135 percent over its projected numbers.

Last year, the group also expanded its mobile network coverage.

Apart from boosting investment in its core network, the group also focused on
increasing investment in base transceiver stations (BTS) to popularise its
services in both cities and rural areas.


Last year, the subscriber volume of mobile service providers Vinaphone and
MobileFone, managed by the VNPT, reached 21 million. By the end of 2008, VNPT
accounted for 60 percent of the country's mobile market share.

VNPT is responsible for 64 percent of the country's high-speed internet service
and has 1.3 million internet subscribers.-Enditem