Decision No. 24/2005/QD-BBCVT on the issuance of international telephone service tariffs provided by Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation

Pursuant to …;

REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RATES FOR INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE SERVICES PROVIDED BY VIETNAM POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION

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THE MINISTER OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Pursuant to Decree No. 90/2002/NĐ-CP dated November 11, 2002 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications;

Pursuant to Decision No. 217/2003/QĐ-TTg dated October 27, 2003 of the Prime Minister on the management of pricing for postal and telecommunications services;

Considering the proposal of Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation at Circular No. 2901/GCTT dated May 18, 2005 regarding the approval of the international outgoing call rate plan for 2005;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Planning and Finance,

DECISION:

Article 1. Now hereby establishes rates for international telephone services provided by Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation at subscribers' premises as follows:

1. Information rates:

1.1 For PSTN international telephone service

a. Direct dialing (IDD):

- Maximum rate: 0.80 USD/minute (0.08 USD/6-second block).

- Minimum rate: 0.55 USD/minute (0.055 USD/6-second block).

b. Operator-assisted calls (through international switchboard): The rate and method of calculation shall be determined by the enterprise.

1.2 For NGN 64 Kbps international telephone service using prepaid cards:

- Maximum rate shall not exceed the information rate of corresponding PSTN international telephone service.

- Minimum rate shall not be less than 10% of the information rate of corresponding PSTN international telephone service.

1.3 For postpaid international IP telephone service (VoIP):

- Maximum rate: 0.60 USD/minute (0.06 USD/6-second block).

- Minimum rate: 0.50 USD/minute (0.05 USD/6-second block).

1.4 For prepaid card-based international IP telephone service (VoIP) and prepaid card-based international NGN 8 Kbps telephone service:

- Maximum rate: 0.50 USD/minute (0.05 USD/6-second block).

- Minimum rate: 0.42 USD/minute (0.042 USD/6-second block).

2. Method of calculating rates:

The unit of time for calculating rates is one minute for the first minute and six-second blocks for subsequent connection times. A call shorter than one minute will be charged for one minute. Any remaining time less than six seconds at the end of a call will be rounded up to a six-second block.

3. Rates for international telephone services for fax subscribers and standard telephone line data transmission subscribers (data transmission over telephone lines) shall be applied according to the corresponding international telephone service rates stipulated in Clause 1 and Clause 2, Article 1 of this Decision.

Article 2. At public points, in addition to the service rates specified in Article 1 of this Decision, enterprises may charge additional service fees. The level of such service fees shall be determined by the management of the public point but must ensure non-discrimination among international telephone services provided by different enterprises.

Article 3. The rates specified in Article 1 of this Decision do not include value-added tax.

Article 4. Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation:

1. Based on the provisions of Article 1, 2, and 3 of this Decision, establish specific rates for international telephone services to each country. When issuing specific rate decisions within its authority, the Corporation shall notify the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications ten days before the decision takes effect.

2. Establish reduced rates for international telephone services specified in Article 1 of this Decision during holidays, holiday make-up days, Saturdays, Sundays, and from 11 PM the previous day to 7 AM the following day during weekdays, but the reduction shall not exceed 30%.

3. Establish reductions for large customers and special customers with reductions not exceeding 10%, without discrimination among customers.

Article 5. These provisions of this Decision apply to users of international telephone services provided by Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation.

Article 6. This Decision takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette. All previous regulations contrary to this Decision are abolished.

Article 7. The Director of the Office, Heads of the Planning and Finance Department, Heads of units under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation are responsible for implementing this Decision./.