Conditions to support telecommunications enterprises in providing public telecommunications services

(Chinhphu.vn) - The Government has just issued Decree No. 295/2025/ND-CP dated November 17, 2025 detailing the implementation of the Law on Telecommunications on public telecommunications activities and financial mechanisms for implementing public telecommunications activities.

Telecommunications enterprises licensed to provide telecommunications services without network infrastructure for the first time are exempted from contributing to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund for 02 years from the date of licensing.

This Decree details public telecommunications activities and the financial mechanism for implementing public telecommunications activities prescribed in Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 32 of the Law on Telecommunications; applicable to state agencies, organizations and individuals directly participating in or related to public telecommunications activities in Vietnam according to the provisions of the Law on Telecommunications.

Principles for supporting telecommunications enterprises in providing public telecommunications services

In particular, the Decree clearly stipulates the principles of support for telecommunications enterprises to provide public telecommunications services:

Ensure the provision of public telecommunications services to people in disadvantaged areas so that they can access and use the services when needed; ensure communication in emergency situations as prescribed by law.

In case a telecommunications enterprise is implementing a contract to provide universal telecommunications services according to regulations and there is a second or more telecommunications enterprise participating in providing the same type of service in that area, the enterprise implementing the contract will continue to be supported until the end of the contract implementation period.

Telecommunications enterprises supported to provide universal telecommunications services must meet the requirements for universalizing telecommunications services as prescribed in Article 5 of this Decree; the enterprise's investment in excess (if any) compared to the State's requirements must be self-reimbursed.

Telecommunications enterprises supported to provide public telecommunications services must be consistent with the scope and tasks of the public telecommunications service provision program; when the generated revenue is not enough to cover costs, it must go through bidding, ordering, and task assignment methods according to regulations.

For expenses for which the competent state agency has issued the cost norms for providing universal telecommunications services, the support for enterprises to offset the costs of developing, upgrading, and maintaining telecommunications infrastructure to provide universal telecommunications services according to bidding and ordering methods must not exceed the related cost norms; at the same time, the support for enterprises providing public telecommunications services must ensure that it does not overlap with the support policy for users of public telecommunications services, and that there is no overlap in the funding sources for compensating the costs of enterprises.

Supporting telecommunications enterprises to provide public telecommunications services must ensure publicity, transparency, equality, economy, compliance with regulations on anti-corruption and negativity, and no group interests.

General conditions to support telecommunications enterprises in providing public telecommunications services

Conditions for enterprises: Enterprises that have been granted a license to conduct telecommunications services with network infrastructure by a competent state agency and enterprises that participate in providing public telecommunications services through bidding, ordering, and assignment methods.

The Prime Minister has approved the program for providing public telecommunications services.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has approved the plan to provide public telecommunications services and the budget estimate to support telecommunications enterprises in providing public telecommunications services according to regulations.

Contribution level of telecommunications enterprises to the Public Telecommunication Service Fund

Decree specifically stipulates the contribution level of telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund:

The contribution level of telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund is determined by the percentage (%) of telecommunications service revenue, with a maximum of 1.5%. The specific contribution level of telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund for each period is decided by the Prime Minister in the program for providing public telecommunications services.

Revenue from telecommunications services within the scope of calculation of contributions to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund is determined according to the provisions of law, excluding revenue of telecommunications enterprises from providing public telecommunications services as prescribed in Articles 20, 21 and 22 of this Decree.

Financial contributions of telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Utility Telecommunication Service Fund are accounted for in the enterprise's telecommunications service business expenses.

The starting time for calculating contributions of telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund must ensure the following requirements:

Ensure the funding needs for implementing the public telecommunications service provision program of each period according to the principle of prioritizing the use of remaining funding from the public telecommunications service provision program of the previous period.

Ensure compliance with the implementation plan and disbursement schedule of the public telecommunications service provision program for each period.

In case the contribution collection period is less than 12 months in a year, the contribution collection of telecommunications enterprises shall be calculated based on the average monthly revenue in the year and the number of months of contribution collection in that year.

Time to stop collecting contributions: Determined on the basis of ensuring sufficient collection according to actual funding needs to implement the program of providing public telecommunications services.

The Prime Minister decides or assigns the Ministry of Science and Technology to decide the starting point for calculating contributions and the stopping point for contributions by telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund in the program for providing public telecommunications services. In case the Prime Minister assigns the Ministry of Science and Technology to decide the starting point for calculating contributions and the stopping point for contributions by telecommunications enterprises to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund, the Ministry of Science and Technology shall send the decision to report to the Prime Minister and at the same time send it to the Ministry of Finance for monitoring.

Subjects exempted from or having their contributions reduced to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund

In addition to the contribution level regulations, the Decree also specifically stipulates the subjects exempted from or reduced from contributing to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund. Specifically, telecommunications enterprises licensed to provide telecommunications services without network infrastructure for the first time are exempted from contributing to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund for 02 years from the date of licensing; and are entitled to a 50% reduction in the contribution level for the next 02 years from the date of expiry of the contribution exemption period.

In case the above telecommunications enterprise is granted a license to provide telecommunications services without network infrastructure for the first time before the effective date of this Decree (January 1, 2026), the telecommunications enterprise shall be exempted from or have its contribution to the Vietnam Public Telecommunications Service Fund reduced for the remaining period of time the enterprise is entitled to exemption or reduction, calculated from the date the enterprise is granted the license.

This Decree comes into force from January 1, 2026.

Minh Hien

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/dieu-kien-ho-tro-doanh-nghiep-vien-thong-cung-cap-dich-vu-vien-thong-cong-ich-102251117221611157.htm