In a recent announcement, the Viet Nam Telecommunications Authority (VTA) under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has instructed all mobile phone service providers to cease accepting subscribers with mobile phones that exclusively support 2G technology (2G-only phones) unless they are on the MIC list of conformity certification.

Many telecom service providers will begin blocking signals for non-compliant 2G mobile phones from early March as part of Viet Nam's broader plan to fully phase out the 2G network in September this year.

Those 2G phones that are included in the conformity certification list will be allowed to continue operating until September.

The movie matches the planned complete shutdown of the 2G network as directed by the MIC.

All the frequency licenses issued to mobile network operators for operating the 2G network will expire.

Users of 2G phones should contact their mobile service providers for more information and instructions related to this issue, the agency advised.

Before the official announcement from the Ministry of Information and Communications on preventing non-standard 2G phones from entering the new network, telecom service providers proactively notify customers to check whether the SIM and phone they are using support 4G or not to make the switch as soon as possible.

At the same time, Viettel has launched a 4G "upgrade" programme with many attractive incentive programmes for 2G subscribers converting to 4G.

Users can look up 2G models at the link https://tqc.gov.vn/2g-only.

The 2G mobile network, implemented in Viet Nam 21 years ago, has become obsolete and is no longer able to meet the growing demands of users or be commensurate with the development trends in the telecommunications sector, the MIC said.

Experts have highlighted that the 2G network harbors numerous vulnerabilities, providing an opportunity for cybercriminals to exploit them for the distribution of spam and fake messages to user devices through 2G waves.

This, in turn, poses a significant threat, potentially causing substantial damage to users.

The full discontinuation of 2G services is aimed at maximizing the utilization of frequency resources, facilitating the development and enhancement of 4G and higher technologies.

Reporting by CHIEN THANG - Translating by M.DUNG