Smart-phone use surges in Vietnam
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As many as 21 per cent of mobile-phone users in Vietnam will use smart phones by the end of this year, according to Qualcomm, the US's leading phone-chip maker.
Speaking at an industry event in Ho Chi Minh City, Qualcomm president for Southeast Asia and the Pacific John Stefanac said that the number of mobile-phone users with 3G (third generation network) connections would increase by 15 per cent in the period from 2012-16.
According to Stefanac, as Vietnam is a lucrative market with high development in the mobile sector, Qualcomm is now increasing co-operation with local phone-makers and mobile operators such as QMobile, FPT, Vinaphone, MobiFone and Viettel.
Meanwhile, according to a recent survey by world leading telecom market researcher Ericsson ConsumerLab, the number of tablet users will increase to 5 per cent from the current 2 per cent.
The Swedish firm attributed the increase to the devices’ faster connectivity and access to apps.
Ericsson ConsumerLab, a subsidiary of Swedish telecom giant Ericsson, said that the download rate of mobile applications from Vietnam’s smart-phone users would also see a boost of 35-40 per cent in the next six months.
The research also showed that continuous upgrades of network infrastructure and more appropriate pricing would help keep the smart-phone growth rate high.
In terms of daily app usage, 49 per cent reported using apps for social networking, 39 per cent for chat, 31 per cent for weather forecasts, 26 per cent for news, 20 per cent for maps and navigation, and 12 per cent for timetables and traffic, according to a survey conducted in high-growth markets worldwide.
