PANO – Since its operation began in March 2015, Lumitel – the mobile operator of Vietnam’s military-run telecom group Viettel in Burundi – has attracted one million subscribers, or 10 per cent of its population.

A Viettel's booth at an international fair. (Photo for illustration: vcci.com.vn)

Notably, Lumitel is one of Viettel’s overseas branches to gain the fastest growth of subscribers with a monthly average increase of 250,000 subscribers.
It is considered a miracle as Burundi, which is home to just over 10 million people, is one of the poorest countries in the world.

This achievement proved Viettel’s sound investment strategy in Burundi, particularly with a focus on 3G service and on building 800 base transceiver stations.

Last year, Viettel’s turnover reached VND 197 trillion, an increase of 20 per cent. It made pre-tax profit of VND 42 trillion, up by 15 per cent, and contributed to the State’s budget more than VND 15 trillion, a 10 per cent increase. It is expecting to achieve a turnover of VND 450-500 trillion by 2020.

At present, Viettel operates in nine countries worldwide.

Translated by Pham Huy