Viettel lifts Cambodian network coverage

9th April, 2009

VietNamNet Bridge – Viettel Cambodia, a subsidiary of Viet Nam's military-run telecom service provider, Viettel, said it had completed the installation of 1,100 base transmission stations which would help to increase its mobile coverage. Metfone has set up over 50 stores in Cambodia to market the service. (Photo: Anh Vu) The company, which launched a mobile phone network called Metfone in Cambodia last month, also started providing a number of value added services for Metfone, such as IMuzik, GPRS/EDGE and iShare. Viettel Cambodia said it was the only operator in Cambodia that charged for calls on a per-second basis, allowing up to 25 per cent savings to customers compared to per-minute charging. The company, which participated in the ICT Telecommunications World Expo in Cambodia, which ended last Sunday, said it would increase the number of BTS to more than 3,000 by the end of this year in a bid to cover the entire country. Metfone has set up over 50 stores in Cambodia to market the service, a figure it expects to double by year's end. Metfone has been able to sign up 500,000 subscribers during a three-month trial period. Viettel last year ranked as the 83rd among largest telecom companies in the world, according to Informa PLC, with a total brand value of US$536 million and earnings last year of VND33 trillion ($1.8 billion) and a gross profit of VND8 trillion. The company, which recently introduced the Mobile Data service based in the EDGE 2.75G (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution), has also been ranked by the World Communication Awards as one of the four leading telecoms in the developing world. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News