Viettel has 83m foreign subscribers

Viettel, which provides mobile services in Cambodia, Laos, Haiti, Mozambique, and Peru, has more than 83 million foreign subscribers, or the same as the Vietnamese population.

This offers the military-run firm a great advantage in procurement and manufacture of telecommunication equipment as well as research.

In February 2009 Viettel began its first foreign operation –Metfone – in Cambodia. Eight months later Viettel launched its Unitel network in Laos before moving into Haiti and Mozambique.

It got a license in Peru in February 2011 by beating several rivals like Wynner Systems, a subsidiary of Russia-based Mera Networks, Americatel under Entel (Chile), and Hits Telecom Holding Company (Brazil).

Peru has a population of nearly 30 million (42nd in the world) while Mozambique has 23 million (51st).

Peru’s demographics are similar to Vietnam’s, with the working-age population being twice as large as the dependent population.

In Mozambique 45.9 percent of people are below working age, 51.1 percent are of working age, and 3 percent are older.

The young populations in these countries mean opportunities for Viettel.

In the first quarter, the firm’s revenues from foreign operations tripled year on year.

Last year revenues from Cambodia were 2.8 times higher at $161 million and from Laos, 4.5 times higher at nearly $61 million. – Tuoitre

Posted by VBN on May 5 2011. Filed under Telecommunication. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry