Directive No. 08/2006/CT-BBCVT on measures to promote the development of fixed telephone services

DIRECTIVE

On Measures to Promote the Development of Fixed Telephone Services

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In recent years, due to good policies, telecommunication and Internet services have made significant progress, however, the development speed among these services has not been uniform, especially between mobile and fixed services. Mobile services have seen large growth rates while fixed services have had low growth rates, affecting the widespread provision of services to all social strata and increasing the digital divide between rural and urban areas.

Given this situation, to promote the development of fixed telephone services, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications requests that agencies and units under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, provincial and municipal postal and telecommunications departments, and telecommunications enterprises implement the following tasks:

1. Units under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications:

1.1. Promptly review and amend licensing mechanisms and policies for fixed telecommunication services to create favorable conditions for enterprises to participate and implement projects and plans for developing fixed telecommunication services;

1.2. Coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to develop investment, tax, capital, and infrastructure usage mechanisms and solutions to address difficulties faced by licensed telecommunications enterprises in implementing fixed telephone services;

1.3. Study and consider implementing public telecommunications mechanisms and policies to support telecommunications enterprises when deploying services in remote, mountainous, and economically disadvantaged areas. Promptly implement the public telecommunications program approved by the Prime Minister;

1.4. Study and propose adjustments to fixed telecommunication service tariffs based on cost structures to encourage telecommunications enterprises to invest and develop fixed telephone services.

2. Postal and Telecommunications Departments:

2.1. Proactively propose and advise provincial and municipal People's Committees to direct and guide telecommunications enterprises in their area to accelerate the development of fixed telephone services to ensure communication for local government management and meet the needs of all social strata;

2.2. Promptly build, complete, and publish telecommunication and Internet development plans in accordance with the industry's overall strategy and specific plans for fixed telephone services;

2.3. Create favorable conditions for telecommunications enterprises when implementing fixed telephone services in terms of infrastructure construction, land allocation, and site clearance, particularly for postal and telecommunication facilities such as antenna towers, cable pits, and public service points;

2.4. Strengthen coordination mechanisms among related ministries and sectors in the area to facilitate shared infrastructure use between transportation, power, and telecommunications industries; coordinate to resolve disputes regarding interconnection among enterprises in the area, ensuring smooth business operations in compliance with the law.

3. For telecommunications enterprises:

3.1. Enhance education and mobilization efforts among staff to foster exemplary behavior and overcome difficulties to achieve industry and enterprise targets, particularly those related to fixed telephone development;

3.2. Leverage proactive and innovative spirit to propose economic, technical, and operational solutions to improve the quality of fixed telephone services in areas where existing services are of poor quality due to outdated technology. Expand fixed telephone services from wards and communes down to villages and hamlets to continue popularizing services and increase telephone density, especially in rural, remote, border, and island areas; meet installation demands without backlog, particularly in cities and key economic zones;

3.3. Review procedures from project planning, evaluation, approval to implementation stages to resolve bottlenecks and expedite the progress of network development and fixed telephone service projects. Particularly, implement comprehensive measures to expedite the deployment of new installations and expansion of fixed switch capacity and peripheral cable networks to meet demand for telephone and broadband Internet services;

3.4. Increase promotional and guidance activities through mass media about basic and value-added services on fixed telecommunication networks to enhance users' awareness of the benefits, high quality, and reasonable tariffs of these services; adopt appropriate promotional policies to encourage registration and use of fixed telephone services by businesses and households.

4. Implementation:

4.1. The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications requires heads of units under the Ministry, provincial and municipal postal and telecommunications departments, and telecommunications enterprises to disseminate and implement the spirit of this Directive, organize its implementation, and report results to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications by August 30, 2006.

4.2. Units directly under the Ministry, provincial and municipal postal and telecommunications departments shall cooperate with telecommunications enterprises and related units to promptly resolve any issues arising during the implementation of this Directive.

4.3. The Telecommunications Department shall be responsible for monitoring and urging the implementation of this Directive and reporting results to the Minister.