In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon 2024, along with the bustling atmosphere of people returning to their hometowns to celebrate Tet, mobile network operators also witnessed a significant shift in mobile subscribers.

Speaking to VietNamNet, a representative from MobiFone said that from the 15th day of the 12th lunar month to the Kitchen God Festival, subscribers have shifted from major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and provinces with many industrial zones to provinces in Central and Southwestern Vietnam.

Specifically, the number of MobiFone subscribers moving out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is about 10%, and in Binh Duong about 13%. The number of MobiFone subscribers in the central provinces increased by about 13-14%. MobiFone subscribers in the western provinces increased by about 5-7%.

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Commuters rush about on the morning of the 28th day of the Lunar New Year. Photo: Dinh Hieu

According to a representative from Vietnamobile, the shift of subscribers from major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang to provinces is due to students having their holidays early, and the trend of returning home to visit relatives before Tet...

Vietnamobile's observations show that in the North, subscribers are shifting from Hanoi to provinces such as Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An. In the Central region, provinces with a strong increase in subscribers include Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh. In the South, Vietnamobile subscribers are concentrating in provinces such as Lam Dong and the Mekong Delta provinces.

A representative from Vietnamobile also stated that overall voice and data traffic before the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon 2024 did not increase, but rather shifted from major cities to provinces.

According to one telecommunications provider, based on observations and experience over the years, the demand for telecommunications services tends to decrease slightly before Tet (Lunar New Year), then increase sharply during the Tet holiday. Given the unpredictable fluctuations in telecommunications consumption trends, telecommunications providers prepare contingency plans to avoid being caught off guard during Tet and other major holidays.

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A technician from a network provider checks and reinstalls the network.

From another perspective, a Viettel representative stated that, according to system data, on February 5th (the 26th day of the Lunar New Year), voice traffic on Viettel's network increased by 9% compared to normal days, but decreased by 17% and 31% respectively compared to the same period in 2023 and 2022. Meanwhile, data traffic changed in the opposite direction, increasing by 10% and 45% respectively compared to the same period in 2023 and 2022.

Given the strong shift in mobile subscriber numbers, according to VNPT representatives, during the preparation and network expansion for the Lunar New Year, VNPT is paying special attention to the migration factor. The company has developed plans to increase capacity in localities that will receive a large influx of people returning home for the Tet holiday.

To ensure that mobile service users' needs are well met, all network operators have stated that they have thoroughly prepared their networks and are ready to respond to any situation that may arise during the Lunar New Year holiday of the Year of the Dragon 2024.

Starting one month before Tet (Lunar New Year), network operators such as Viettel, VNPT, MobiFone, and Vietnamobile proactively restructured their network infrastructure and conducted reviews to identify and address potential risks.

Simultaneously, network operators have stated that they have prepared contingency plans and increased transmission capacity to ensure network security in all situations, best serving the communication needs of the people during the Lunar New Year holiday of the Year of the Dragon 2024.

In fact, network congestion has not occurred in the last few years. Telecommunications services have remained uninterrupted throughout New Year's Eve and the days that follow.

Mobile network operators have completed preparations for shutting down 2G services. Viettel, VNPT, and MobiFone are gradually converting 2G subscribers to 4G in order to prepare for the eventual shutdown of 2G.