VietNamNet Bridge - Along with Viettel, the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and MobiFone plan to reach out to foreign markets.

Viettel was the first telecom giant of Vietnam which invested abroad in 2006. To date, Viettel has been promoting investment in nine countries with a total of 175 million people. Viettel’s networks are operating in six countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Mozambique, Haiti, East Timor and Peru, bringing $1.2 billion in revenue for Viettel in 2014. In other markets as Cameroon, Burundi, and Tanzania, Viettel has received a license and is implementing investment.

Viettel is also seeking investment licenses to invest in a number of African and Eastern European countries. Most recently, Viettel Global, Viettel’s subsidiary specializing in overseas projects, announced that it would invest in telecommunications and other fields in Myanmar, with a total investment of $1.8 billion, including $800 million from Viettel Global.

Investing abroad is one of the three main directions of Viettel. Viettel aims to get 20 to 25 investment licenses into telecommunication networks abroad, with a market of of 500 to 600 million people and to enter the top-10 largest telecommunication groups in the world.

Vettel’s initial success abroad has forced its rivals VNPT and MobiFone to change their strategies to look for opportunities outside the domestic market, which has become too small for all three networks.

Recently, Mr. Tran Manh Hung, General Director of VNPT, said that the group is looking for investment opportunities in overseas markets such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Cuba. VNPT is developing a scheme to establish the International Business and Investment Joint Stock Company in Hong Kong.

In 2008, VNPT formed VNPT Global to find investment opportunities abroad, with representative offices opened in the US, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic.

However, after MobiFone split from VNPT last June, the International Telecommunications Company (VNPT-I) has become the unit conducting overseas investment strategy.

VNPT-I inaugurated a representative office in Cambodia in July, in Myanmar in October and in Laos in December of 2014. The opening of these representative offices mark an important development in VNPT’s expansion to the regional and international market.

The international telephone services, international Internet capacity leasing, and non-voice services in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar brought about moderate revenue for VNPT-I in 2014 (about VND3.13 trillion).

MobiFone’s overseas investment strategy was compiled years ago. When Viettel began eyeing Myanmar, MobiFone also sought investment opportunities in the market.

In December 2012, MobiFone opened a representative office in Yangon. Earlier, in August 2012, a MobiFone delegation led by Mr. Le Ngoc Minh, VNPT’s Deputy General Director cum MobiFone Chair, paid a visit to Myanmar to meet with local partners. The trip marked the first step of MobiFone in the plan of business expansion into foreign markets.

MobiFone officials said that investment abroad at the time of 2012 was very difficult, but to become a strong business, MobiFone had to search new markets.

MobiFone’s ambition is reaching the international market to become one of the top 10 mobile networks in Asia. MobiFone plans to invest abroad to serve a market of about 200 million people.

Last may, VNPT’s International Investment JSC was renamed MobiFone Global after MobiFone separated from VNPT. Currently, this firm is in charge of overseas projects of MobiFone.

In the latest news, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son last week signed a decision on the organization and operation of MobiFone.

Accordingly, MobiFone’s international transaction name is MobiFone Corporation. This is a one-member limited liability company, with 100% of State charter capital of VND15 trillion.

The main business lines of MobiFone include: investment, construction, operation, and supply of telecom, information technology, broadcasting and multimedia communication services; manufacturing, assembling, import and export and trade of electronics, telecom and information technology equipment; consultancy, survey, design, construction and installation of specialized electronics, telecommunications, information technology works; and maintenance and repair of specialized electronic, telecommunications, information technology equipment.

MobiFone will have 21 subsidiaries.

MobiFone also holds over 50% of charter capital in three companies: MobiFone Global, MobiFone Plus and MobiFone Service. Also, MobiFone owns shares in two media and multimedia service companies and two banks - Southeast Asia Commercial Bank and Tien Phong Commercial Bank.

Notably, MobiFone’s equitization will be completed in 2016.

Nam Son