Laptops expand the Wifi market

According to market research firm GFK, the amount of laptops poured into Vietnam in 2008 was about 320,000 units, nearly doubling in 2007. This shows that the demand for laptop use in Vietnam is higher and higher. The demand for wireless Internet services (Wifi) is growing.

Wave of Wifi investment

That makes telecom businesses sloppy, many units divert investment into Wifi technology. Currently in Ho Chi Minh City there are about five wireless technology service providers. In particular, FPT Telecom with Wifi city project has been deployed since June 2007 with a total investment of 1.5 million USD. Currently, FPT's Wifi network has covered almost all banks, hotels and restaurants in the inner city with nearly 5,000 points in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Viettel phone network also started testing wireless Internet, which can provide all users in a larger limited area like a district. Therefore, anyone can use a device with a wireless network card to connect and test. Currently, Viettel allows users to test their Wifi service in some areas of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi before starting charging and officially providing services.

Two CDMA technology telephone networks, S-Fone and EVN Telecom, are also eager to deploy wireless Internet services.

There is no standard Wifi model yet

Although Wifi service is highly appreciated for its business potential, in terms of technology, businesses are still more or less reserved, most of them are deployed only in the form of testing. Mr. Hoang Son, deputy technical director of Viettel, said: ' Through the trial period, we found the system to have barriers in space and is looking for a better solution '.

According to Ms. Truong Nguyen Thu Ha, Director of the Center for Development Services, FPT Telecom, in city conditions, a broadcast set can cover a radius of 30-50 m. But the more the barrier is, the more limited the coverage will be, costing a lot of investment.

S-Fone's wireless Internet phone, despite being highly appreciated in recent times, has limited Wi-Fi range but the biggest obstacle of this type of product is the price is still quite high. Consumers have to spend more than 1.5 million dong to buy an Internet USB, then pay additional subscription fees from 250,000 to 400,000 dong / month. And yet, customers also have to pay extra if using the limit.

As for EVN, even if it is wireless Internet, users can only use dial-up to connect so it is very slow.

That is not to mention the security issue is quite open, recently the information that through Wifi system, hackers can penetrate into computers to change data or steal information of the owner. Some businesses have warned that current Wi-Fi services are mostly experimental, without security standards, so consumers must protect themselves.