In the past, to stay connected while traveling abroad, customers often opted for local SIM cards, travel SIM cards, or portable wifi routers instead of roaming services, with cost being a primary barrier. However, Viettel has been challenging this perception by introducing all-inclusive data packages with no additional charges, making roaming a preferred choice for many.
Viettel Telecom’s Journey to Overcome Preconceptions
Seven to eight years ago, roaming services were charged on a PayGo basis, resulting in unexpectedly high bills for users. Recognizing this issue, Viettel worked to make the service more accessible by introducing all-inclusive roaming packages with no extra costs.
They started by adjusting roaming rates in Indochina countries, leveraging their network infrastructure advantages through their subsidiaries (Metfone in Cambodia, Unitel in Laos, and later Mytel in Myanmar). This initiative brought significant savings of up to 14 times for calls and a remarkable 143 times for data services, a breakthrough in offering genuine benefits to users when traveling abroad while using their regular Viettel phone numbers.
In 2019, Viettel introduced and maintained a dedicated Data Roaming package for the entire ASEAN region (ASEAN5, ASEAN10, and ASEAN15) with rates 3.6 times lower than PAYGO, starting at just VND 20,000/day.
Why has a service like roaming, once considered expensive, helped Viettel Telecom attract so many customers?
“Democratizing” VIP Services – A Bold and Effective Strategy
Viettel has consistently applied a “democratization” strategy across all their data, voice & SMS, and combo packages. Following the success of data packages starting at VND 20,000/day, they recently introduced, in late 2023, unlimited data roaming packages (Viettel Data Roaming Unlimited) with all-inclusive rates. For just VND 25,000-50,000/day, users can enjoy uninterrupted internet access in 48 countries/territories. Whether on a short business trip to Laos or Cambodia or a longer journey to any of the 48 destinations, customers can choose from the IRU and DRU packages without worrying about excessive charges.
As a result of these efforts, the number of subscribers to Viettel’s roaming packages doubled in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
The IRU and DRU packages not only address cost concerns but also offer flexibility, with non-auto-renewal options and the ability to schedule roaming activation. In just two months, the number of subscriptions for the Unlimited Data DRU1 package in 48 countries almost doubled. The Unlimited Data package for Laos and Cambodia (IRU1) saw an impressive fourfold increase in subscriptions within just three months.
A Viettel representative shared: “By continuously improving our packages, offering unlimited data roaming packages (IRU, DRU) at attractive rates, providing data roaming promotions, and introducing features like scheduled roaming activation, we are getting closer to our goal of making roaming services accessible to all Viettel customers traveling abroad. “Technology from the heart” is the message we want to convey to millions of Vietnamese customers.”
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