Vietman Handset Competition Heats Up

GFK Vietnam has published a report into the local mobile telecoms market and has predicted that 8 million handsets will be sold this year - double the figure just 2 years ago. Revenues are projected to reach US1.1. billion.

The major brands dominate the market, although some twenty smaller companies are competing in the market.

Dinh Anh Huan, the business director at VietnamÃ's largest cell phone retailer The Gioi Di Dong, attributes the change in consumersÃ' taste to a general downward trend in cell phone prices as well as shifting public perception regarding mobile products. "Cell phones are no longer considered signs of social status as they previously have been," he told the Thanh Nien Daily newspaper.

According to the retailer, around a third of customers brought handsets in the US$93-$188 price range - a rise of 24% over the past year. The company said that Nokia was the main beneficiary of the move up market as its market share rose by 10 percent.

Samsung Mobile's Director in Vietnam, Nguyen Hong Chau predicted that reasonably-priced products would account for as much as 60 percent of total market sales this year with mobile producers trying to develop new products to cater to different market segments.

The Mobile World analysts estimate that Vietnam ended last year with some 35.7 million subscribers (29.4m GSM, 6.3m CDMA) - representing a population penetration level of 42%.

On the web: Thanh Nien Daily - Mobile World

Posted to the site on 8th April 2008