The government plans to equip 400,000 poor and near-poor households with smartphones under the Public Telecommunication Service Provision Program until 2030. This initiative, approved by the Prime Minister on 1/5, targets households in exceptionally difficult communes located in coastal, island, and offshore platform areas.

However, poor and near-poor households with students who have already received support from the "Waves and Computers for Children" program since 2021, or from other similar programs, will not be eligible for this round of smartphone donations.

Beyond smartphones, the program aims to ensure comprehensive telecommunication access. All electrified villages within exceptionally difficult communes in ethnic minority and mountainous regions, coastal, island, and offshore platform areas will receive support for terrestrial mobile telecommunication services and fixed terrestrial broadband Internet access services. Furthermore, preschools, primary and secondary schools, and commune health stations will also receive support for fixed terrestrial broadband Internet access services if needed.

For areas currently lacking terrestrial mobile telecommunication and fixed terrestrial broadband Internet, such as villages in exceptionally difficult communes within ethnic minority and mountainous regions, coastal, island, and offshore platform areas, the program will provide low-earth orbit satellite fixed telecommunication services. Additionally, all fishermen on Vietnamese vessels operating at sea who require it will be supported with maritime mobile telecommunication services.

Residents use phones to film and photograph fireworks lighting up the Saigon River in 4/2025. Photo: Hoang Viet

This latest effort builds on previous initiatives. In 2022, the former Ministry of Information and Communications supported poor and near-poor households in purchasing smartphones through the Public Telecommunication Service Provision Program until 2025. Device allocation was determined by province, based on the percentage of poor households without smartphones. Recipient households had to meet specific criteria, including not having previously received device support from this program or online learning devices from the "Waves and Computers for Children" program. For households that already owned a device or preferred to purchase one independently, the program offered 500,000 VND in support.

In late 2021, the Prime Minister approved the Public Telecommunication Service Provision Program until 2025. This earlier program aimed to support 800,000 poor and near-poor households, social policy families, and other special groups with end-user devices for learning and communication. Specifically, 400,000 households were slated to receive tablets, while another 400,000 households would receive partial financial assistance to acquire smartphones.

Vu Tuan