The Vietnamese telecommunications sector has embraced the GSM standard, with several networks beginning expansions of their fledgling networks.

For example, HT Mobile will begin rolling out GSM services in Vietnam within the next few months.

VietNamNet Bridge is reporting that the network, which has so far cost more than $600 million to build, will soon be ready after nearly five months of preparation.

Meanwhile rival VinaPhone plans to expand its competing GSM network, and has signed a $28 million contract with Motorola to facilitate this.

Vietnamese telcos are quickly warming to the GSM standard. Last December, Vietnam Posts and Telecoms Group [VPTG] also reached an arrangement with Motorola to expand VPTG's GSM network.

And HT mobile has already abandoned its CDMA network in favor of GSM.

This trend reflects the situation worldwide. According to a recent Dell'Oro report, telcos are abandoning CDMA in droves, with the market contracting 25 percent last year.

This trend was somewhat reversed in the Asia-Pacific region, with CDMA still growing steadily throughout some key markets. But Dell'Oro expects the region to begin trending away from CDMA within the next few years.

Source:telecomasia.net