Vietnamese carrier EVN Telecom has been awarded a 3G license, and has allocated nearly 3 trillion dong ($166 million) towards a network rollout.
The company will install 2,500 Node B UMTS base stations, developing a network that will reach 46% of Vietnam's population, EVN said.
EVN Telecom, which currently operates a CDMA 450 network, was this week awarded with a 3G license valid until 2024 from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). It is one of five 3G license holders in Vietnam.
Meanwhile two more operators, FPT Telecom and the Vietnam Multimedia Corporation, have moved to join Vietnam's increasingly crowded mobile market. The companies have applied for MVNO licenses from the MIC, VietnamNetsaid.
If approved, the companies will become the ninth and tenth mobile operators in the country, joining seven MNOs and one MVNO.