Vietnam’s prime minister approved a broadband development plan that calls for 3G/4G networks to cover 95 per cent of residential areas and fixed-line broadband reaching at least 40 per cent of households by 2020.

The new programme also calls for at least 60 per cent of internet subscribers having access to a minimum download speed of 25Mb/s, Viet Nam News reported. The government is targeting 100 per cent of public internet access points nationwide offering broadband service by 2020, with half of the access points delivering a minimum download speed of 50Mb/s.

Its target for wireless access is 4Mb/s in urban areas and 2Mb/s in rural areas.

The government said the programme aims to encourage businesses to invest in broadband infrastructure and make issuing licences for telecoms businesses easier.

It also plans to create market mechanisms to encourage competition and won’t allow discrimination between state-run and private companies, Viet Nam News said.

The government plans to set targets for local firms to manufacture or assemble equipment to reduce costs and lower imports.