VietNamNet Bridge - Though network operators repeatedly affirm the outstanding quality of 4G services, surveys have found that access is poor to average. 

VinaPhone, MobiFone and Viettel, the three biggest mobile network operators, are the ‘warring parties’ in the 4G service market. All of them committed to nationwide 4G coverage after receiving licenses for 4G.  

However, even in inner districts of Hanoi, the access to 4G has been problematic. Customers in Dong Da and Cau Giay complain that access is often denied.

A customer on August 3 told Lao Dong that he successfully registered to use MobiFone’s 4G service, but there was no display of any data network on the phone’s screen. 

Prior to that, a customer also complained about the display speed, saying that the network displayed only five minutes after an officer at Viettel’s branch on Nguyen Phong Sac Street in Cau Giay district in Hanoi finished the registration.

The officer said that problems sometimes occur, while the service quality depends on positions.

The same problems are occurring with VinaPhone network. 4G network is not displayed in some inner and suburb districts. According to a customer care officer, there are BTS in districts far from centers like Long Bien, Hoai Duc and Soc Son, but the coverage does not reach all areas.

Customers also complain that the capacity runs out vquickly when using 4G service packages. Explaining this, an officer from Viettel said as the access speed is seven times higher than 3G, the capacity runs out more quickly. 

“When the 4G capacity limit runs out, 4G will automatically be replaced with 2G and 3G and the access speed will be much slower,” the officer said.

However, Vu Hoang Lien, chair of the Vietnam Internet Association, disagreed. Users might put high expectations on 4G and could be disappointed as the speed is not as fast as expected, he said. 

Lien also said that technical errors may occur sometimes, which leads to low quality, but he stressed that errors do not happen regularly. 

Regarding the complaints about the high cost, he said this was foreseeable. Since 4G speed is higher, users consume a higher capacity.

Analysts say that since network operators have not publicized data about their BTS (base transceiver stations), customers do not know where 4G services are available. 

Viettel remains the only network operator which provides information about the number of BTS (36,000).

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