Consulting and guiding customers to change 2G phones to 4G

In recent days, the central stores in Hue city of network operators have been bustling with customers coming to change their SIM cards and 2G phones to 4G. Mr. Huynh Van Minh, in Huong Toan (Huong Tra), has been using a "brick" phone using a 2G SIM for many years. Hearing from relatives that after September 15, the 2G signal would be turned off and he needed to switch to a 4G SIM, Mr. Minh quickly went to the MobiFone store in Hue for support. "After being consulted and instructed, I was lucky enough to change to a 4G phone, no longer worrying about communication interruptions when the rainy and stormy season is approaching," said Mr. Minh.

In addition to direct support at the store, on weekends, staff from network operators also go to residential areas to propagate, mobilize, guide and support people to make the switch. For elderly or single customers who cannot come, staff will come to their homes to support the installation completely free of charge.

Director of Viettel Thua Thien Hue Nguyen Huy Quang said that the unit has deployed solutions focusing on converting all 2G subscribers to 3G and 4G in the province. "We determined that turning off 2G must ensure 4G coverage and this is the most important thing for people to conveniently use the service. Up to this point, Viettel has ensured 4G coverage in the area of ​​98%, striving to reach 99.5% coverage by the end of 2024, equivalent to 2G coverage," said Mr. Quang.

Viettel is also proactive in sales activities, promoting the roadmap for turning off 2G waves to the people. In coordination with the Department of Information and Communications and local authorities in communicating the policy of turning off waves, from July 31 to now, Viettel Thua Thien Hue has converted 20,000 subscribers to 2G. Currently, there are about 14,000 customers who have not converted. The unit is focusing on policies to accelerate the transition, such as supporting free phones, on the condition that users commit to using Viettel's packages within 6 months; 50% discount on phone prices for poor and near-poor households, along with promotional programs for customers switching from 2G to 4G phones...

The two network operators MobiFone and VinaPhone also developed and implemented specific policies; focusing on supporting terminal devices and usage fees so that customers can proactively switch to using smartphones. "VinaPhone assigned employees in each locality to support the people's conversion process, striving to have over 90% of customers convert by September 15," said Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy, Deputy Director of VNPT Thua Thien Hue, Director of the Business Center. Currently, VinaPhone Thua Thien Hue still has nearly 23,000 users using 2G devices (accounting for about 60%) who have not yet converted. "Accompanying customers, we are committed to not turning off 2G waves before September 16 to ensure customer rights," affirmed Deputy Director of VNPT Nguyen Xuan Thuy.

Turning off 2G is a major policy of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). To promote this process, the MIC is making efforts to support 400,000 smartphones for poor and near-poor households using the public telecommunications fund. For the people, turning off 2G will help them switch to using higher quality 4G broadband services, while reaching the Government's goal of universalizing smartphones to all people, meeting the needs of digital transformation, developing the digital economy, and digital society.
Article and photos: LIEN MINH