Mobile sector rings up success Visitors browse through mobile phone products at the Mobile Viet Nam 2012 Expo, which opened yesterday in Ha Noi. The four-day event features the latest mobile phone innovations in Viet Nam. — VNS Photo Truong Vi HA NOI (VNS)— Thousands of phone enthusiasts flocked to the Mobile Viet Nam 2012 opening in Ha Noi yesterday, eager to discover the latest mobile phone innovations and take a peak into the future. The four-day event, held in Viet Nam for the first time, aims to further enhance the booming mobile phone sector in one of Asia's fastest growing wireless markets. "As one of the most significant event of the year for Viet Nam's ICT sector, the show provides a prime opportunity for local and international telecom companies to introduce their newest products and network with other businesses," said Information and Communications Minister Nguyen Bac Son. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Son said Viet Nam's telecom industry has made amazing progress in recent decades, helping to boost the overall development of the country's economy. "Now our telecoms sector has begun to invest in overseas markets," he said. "But it must make greater efforts to ensure speedier and safer connections as well as securing the sovereignty of the national telecommunications network." Son also acknowledged the contributions of foreign telecom companies to the growth of Viet Nam's sector, who have worked closely with the industry from the very early stages. The show, which has attracted dozens of local and international mobile operators, service providers and handset suppliers, was yesterday dominated by Viettel, VNPT, Samsung and Sony. The mobile network operator Viettel displayed a number of new packages aimed to meet the broader needs of users such as fisherman, pensioners and VIPs as a part of its "mobility life" project. The eight-year-old operator has enjoyed mass expansion to overseas markets recently, having invested in mobile networks across Laos, Cambodia, Haiti, Mozambique and Peru. Meanwhile, the country's oldest telecom giant Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), the owner of Vinaphone and MobiFone mobile networks, focused on valued-added services such as mobile payment, mobile education and mobile games. "Visitors at the fair could experience our hottest services in the real time via 3G (third mobile generation network)," said VNPT's spokesman Bui Quoc Viet. Handset giants Samsung and Sony, which occupy largest pitches at the event, introducing their latest smartphones and tablets, featuring state of the art technologies such as NFC and 4G. Swedish telecoms veteran Ericsson, one of the first foreign telecom firms to invest in Viet Nam, unveiled its "Mobile Health" project, which provides services remotely, eliminating the need for patients to visit hospitals. Meanwhile, Telcordia Technol-ogies showcases its solution for the "Change mobile network, save number" project initiated by the Ministry of Information and Communications. The company, a subsidiary of Ericsson, has already implemented this solution in more than 19 countries worldwide, enabling mobile phone subscribers to swap network providers without changing their numbers. An international conference will be held today at Ha Noi's Melia hotel, providing a platform for governmental agencies and businesses to share views on the future of Viet Nam's mobile sector. While VNPT will address two topics "Developing high-speed broadband 4G" and "Social networks for everyone," Viettel will share its experiences of investing abroad. The event, which concludes on Sunday and is expected to attract 50,000 visitors, is jointly organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications, Viet Nam Exhibition Conference and Advertisement Join Stock Company and Number one Media Technology Corporation. Viet Nam's ICT sector earned US$13.7 billion in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 79 per cent. Of this, the hardware sector accounted for $11.3 billion, according to the 2012 ICT White Book released by the Ministry of Information and Communications. — VNS