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VIETNAM

• "Use of the frequency band... 2.4 GHz, does not require a license..." ---from Vietnam's contribution to "Analysis of case studies on successful practices in telecommunications for rural and remote areas," ITU-D Study Group 2, July 2005, page 21
• "Procedure for Radio Frequency Licensing" - Part 1 and Part 2 - in English, Ministry of Posts and Telematics (no date). Part 2 includes a short section on "Types of Radio Equipment Subject to Conditional Use and Requiring No Licenses." All the version currently online says is that "In each period, the Ministry of Post and Telematics shall prescribe and publicize the list of radio equipment subject to conditional use..."
• Asia Telecommunication Newsletter, 23 May 2003. According to the US State Department, "Vietnam does not yet permit unlicensed radio-frequency spectrum for use by Wi-fi, but does for use by some cordless telephones... Recently, MPT [the Ministry of Posts and Telematics] has approved radio-frequency spectrum of the 2.4 GHz - 2.4835 GHz range for use by Wi-fi products...but on a case-by-case basis. Vietnam has not licensed 802.11a products to operate in the 5 GHz range... MPT has no plans at this time to authorize Wi-fi services as low-power devices..."
• "ISPs to be allowed to provide Internet WiFi without new licence," VNPT, 22 July 2004 (in English): "The Ministry of Posts and Telematics has just issued a guidance document for telecoms & Internet businesses to provide WiFi services. Accordingly, all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will be able to provide this service without asking for new licence..." The guidance document [number 1301/BBCVT-VT] is discussed in more detail in a Vietnamese-language article entitled "Bộ BCVT hướng dẫn triển khai cung cấp dịch vụ Wi-Fi," Hanoi Post and Telecommunication, 15 July 2004.
• English translation of "Decree Number 24-2004/ND-CP on the implementation with regard to radio frequencies of the Ordinance on Posts and Telecommunications" (14 January 2004, 25 pages). Section 3 deals with "Licensing of Radio Frequency and Transmitter Use." Section 4 deals with "Types of Radio Equipment Subject to Conditional Use and Requiring No Licenses" - but it does not state which types are license exempt.
• "Chủ đề: Các vấn đề về phí tần số" - this appears to be a list of questions asked in email messages from Vietnamese citizens about the rules for Wi-Fi, WLANs, ISM, Citizens Band radio, etc., with answers (in Vietnamese) from the Radio Frequency Department of the Ministry of Posts and Telematics. An answer dated 19 December 2005 seems to identify these bands as available for use by local wireless data networks: 2400-2483.5 MHz, with a power limit of 100 mW (20 dBm); 5150-5250 MHz and 5250-5350 MHz, with a power limit of 200 mW (23 dBm); and 5725-5850 MHz, with a power limit of 1W (30 dBm).
• "Quyết định ban hành mức thu lệ phí cấp giấy phép tần số vô tuyến điện và phí sử dụng tần số vô tuyến điện," Ministry of Finance decree 22/2005/QĐ-BTC (4 November 2005) - this contains an extensive list of fees for the use of radio frequencies in various bands, locations and power output levels.
• "Decision No. 85/1998/QD-TTg of April 16,1998 to Approve the Plan on Vietnam's Radio Frequency Spectrum for Services," in English.
• "Intel, VDC Launch Wireless Internet," Vietnam News Agency, 16 June 2003, in English.
• "VDC introduces WiFi technology," Vietnam News, 23 August 2003: "In preparation for the Southeast Asian Games, the Vietnam Datacommunications Co and Intel Vietnam plan to develop 100 Wireless fidelity (WiFi) hotspots. The new internet service centres will be in hotels, airports, railway stations, press centres, and stadiums... The company plans to install a total of 1,000 hotspots nationwide during 2004-2005."
• The MPT Radio Frequency Department's band allocation tables in English.

Asia & Pacific - Regional Overview