Vietnamese consumers may have more choices when the first locally made smartphones and tablets are unveiled at around just USD50, one official said.
Thieu Phuong Nam, CEO of Qualcomm in charge of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
Thieu Phuong Nam, CEO of Qualcomm in charge of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, announced that the company is cooperating with Vietnamese producers and network providers to realise the plan.
According to Nam, mobile phones are a new technology trend that could change the lives of people in Vietnam and many other countries in the world.
“3G and mobile devices have become a common part of people’s lives when they find more affordable to normal mobiles,” he noted.
He said that Qualcomm planned to intensify its operations in Vietnam this year in a bid to bring 3G technology to almost every resident in the country.
“While there are around two billion 3G subscribers in the world, Vietnam has only 20 million 3G subscribers, according to the Ministry of Information and Communication. We see a great potential for 3G development in Vietnam in the time to come,” he said.
He forecast that people would switch from feature phones to smartphones this year while more people, including those who live in remote areas, would use 3G services during the year. Mobile computing technology would continue to strongly develop in the education sector thanks to the wide use of tablets.
“Demand for smartphones in Vietnam and some regional markets increased by 400% last year. Of the total smartphone users, over 60% have preferred cheap devices at less than USD200,” John Stefanac, President of Qualcomm in charge of Southeast Asia -Pacific commented.
Stefanac said that Qualcomm will cooperate with Vietnamese producers to make cheap smartphones and tablets for local consumers.
Currently, Qualcomm is cooperating with FPT to launch the first made-in-Vietnam smartphone, FPT IV at VND4.5 million (USD214.7). Such devices are to serve medium-income people.
He added that it would take a certain period of time to release smartphones at USD50.