January 7, 2006
Vietnam to control pre-paid mobile phone subscribers
The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in Vietnam might request mobile information service providers to strictly control pre-paid mobile phone subscribers, writes Vietnam net.
MPT feels it’s time to implement a mechanism to control pre-paid subscribers, who account for nearly 80% of total subscribers but who are not tied down by any conditions. The Ministry is collecting opinions from telecom businesses about management of this kind, and it is possible that subscribers will have to declare personal information like post-paid users.
An MPT official said that tightening control of pre-paid subscribers will help ensure security and save the store of mobile phone numbers because the number of ‘virtual’ subscribers is quite high.
Pre-paid subscribers operate unstably and do not bring about high income for service providers. Moreover, since they cannot control those subscribers, providers face many difficulties in classifying customers. In addition, problems related to spam messages and harassment often come from pre-paid subscribers and it is difficult to find out the owner.
However, some service providers worry that they will be affected if strict management measures are implemented without a specific roadmap. Many telecom experts say that it is quite difficult to manage pre-paid mobile phone subscribers, quoting China as an example.
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