Upon receiving the direction of the Ministry of Information and Communications on the policy of turning off 2G waves, Viettel immediately took action to implement it in 2023. Within just 1 year, Viettel added 6,000 new 4G broadcasting stations, increasing the bandwidth and capacity of 53,000 other 4G stations. Thanks to that, more than 4 million people in remote areas,... have 4G waves, ensuring that they will not be "no signal" if 2G is turned off.
“If you convert a 2G device to 4G without 4G signal, customers will not be able to use the Internet or 4G infrastructure. At that time, 4G devices will not be different from 2G devices. Therefore, ensuring 4G signal quality is one of the important tasks in converting customers to the digital environment,” said Mr. Cao Anh Son, General Director of Viettel Telecom.
This is a great effort because most of the newly developed stations have complex terrain, are difficult to deploy, and are sparsely populated. The 2G network has been developed for 20 years, the technical characteristics of 2G waves have a very large coverage area, so they are easy to access. For 4G waves to completely "replace" 2G, the technical force needs to calculate and survey in detail not only a broadcasting location, but also optimize the surrounding stations to ensure that they are suitable for the population and terrain. In 2024, Viettel has completed the same amount of work as the previous 3 years combined. The 4G infrastructure is ready, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
2G to 4G: Breaking Consumer Stereotypes
After much persuasion, Mr. Bui Hung Long, 81 years old, in Thuong Tin (Hanoi) also listened to his children and grandchildren to put away his "still good" Nokia to switch to a new smartphone with 4G. He sat down and wrote down each phone number from his old phone in a small notebook, while writing: "I'm used to using this, when a phone call comes, the bell rings, I just need to press the green button to answer, it's a habit". But when his son "threatened" that he would no longer be able to use 2G, he switched to a new phone. However, he did not switch to a 4G phone with keys, but instead used a touch screen smartphone because the letters were large and easy to read. Although he still had to get used to opening the screen, or swiping to receive calls, he gradually liked the new phone because he could watch the Russia-Ukraine war situation all day on YouTube, or make "free" video calls to friends and children. The new experience helped him accept the inconveniences caused by changing habits.
Convincing customers like Mr. Long to switch is a big challenge that Viettel faces in its campaign to bring customers from 2G to 4G. Those who are still loyal to 2G-only phones have relatively special circumstances, including: the elderly who are reluctant to change, people who are less interested in technology and have no need, or people with limited finances who do not want to spend more money on a new phone. Although they account for a small percentage of the total number of customers, the need for connectivity of these customers is very legitimate and necessary.
To serve the campaign, Viettel Telecom has organized a nationwide conversion channel. In the accelerated time, the company deployed up to 12,000 4G conversion support points to villages and communes so that people do not have to go far. Viettel also cooperated with store chains such as Mobile World, Dien May Xanh, Viettel Store, ... and local phone store chains to support customers most conveniently.
But that was not enough. In Mr. Long’s case, the consultant called many times, but he still did not want to part with his old phone. Only when he shared the information with his son, and it was verified, and Viettel staff gave him detailed instructions, did he agree to “upgrade” his means of communication.
It takes a lot of effort to convince customers to change their usage habits. Viettel Telecom cooperates with the community digital transformation team to popularize digital skills for people, experience online news, watch free TV on TV360 application, online payment, etc.
The final sprint is fierce so that no one is left behind.
In sync with activities to promote customer conversion, millions of cheap 4G phones are also prepared by Viettel Telecom for customers to choose from. Diverse phone lines from 4G push-button phones to famous brand smartphones all come with subsidy policies or are sold at 0 VND if customers register with a monthly package. Customers who successfully convert to 4G will also receive additional data, 01 year of using the TV360 TV viewing application (for smartphones) or free calling minutes for basic calling devices.
For poor and near-poor households who cannot afford to switch to 4G, Viettel Telecom has set aside 40 billion VND to support the donation of 4G push-button phones (Feature Phone). The program initially applies to about 100,000 customers in more than 1,700 disadvantaged communes, especially in mountainous, ethnic minority, and coastal areas.
In particular, after storm No. 3 - Yagi caused serious damage to the North of our country - which was also one of the reasons why the Ministry of Information and Communications postponed the deadline for stopping providing services for 2G Only devices by 1 month, Viettel Telecom decided to expand the scope of support, giving away 700,000 4G phones to almost all remaining 2G customers to complete the conversion to 4G. The total budget for the program is up to nearly 300 billion VND.
According to Viettel Telecom General Director, Mr. Cao Anh Son, the story of Viettel Telecom's 2G to 4G conversion is no longer a business problem, but the enterprise is fulfilling its responsibility to the country, to the people, and is a responsibility and sentiment to show gratitude to customers who have accompanied and trusted Viettel. Therefore, it must be done in the most humane and effective way, so that all people have access to new technology, so that no one is left behind.
The roadmap for implementing the customer support program to switch to 4G is also carried out by the enterprise with the goal of providing incentives to the right target audience, solving the root problems of each specific customer group. Each step forward in technology is not only a step forward in business but also a step forward in building a more comprehensive and inclusive information society.
“When 2G is no longer available, it means that customers are all on 4G and 5G infrastructure. Almost 100% of Vietnamese people can access internet services and the world's knowledge base through smartphones. That is an important factor for Viettel Telecom to build digital products, following the 4G and 5G infrastructure to promote national digital transformation,” affirmed the General Director of Viettel Telecom./.
