VietNamNet Bridge – The two largest mobile service providers, VNPT and Viettel, illegally increased fees for data transmission by 45% -46%, one agency reported.

Viettel and VNPT, the two biggest providers in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Information and Communication’s Telecommunication Department reiterated at a meeting on December 5 that telecom companies had been urged not to increase data transmission fees. But the two companies had not complied.

VNPT and Viettel’s recent increases in fees have proven that they hold an unhealthy monopoly that is anti-competitive, said, an official from the department.

In the middle of the year several smaller telecom firms said that, after the merger of EVN Telecom and Vettel, the group, along with VNPT, had colluded to drive up leasing rates by 200%-300%.

After the merger Viettel has become the biggest transmission channel provider in the country for owning 40,000 kilometres of optical cables nationwide.

Both Viettel and VNPT denied the accusation, claiming that their price hikes were valid, and that EVN Telecom’s previous fees were too low to be profitable.

In July the ministry looked into the transmission fees of those two groups.

Following the investigation Viettel and VNPT were asked to apply their old leasing rates until the ministry was able to make a final decision, but no decision has yet been made.

“The department said that despite an attempt to restrict telecom firms’ discounts for prepaid mobile subscribers to a maximum of 50%, many providers have not complied and continue to increase their discounts.

Speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Information and Communication, Nguyen Bac Son, requested that telecom firms strictly comply.

Source: DTriNews