Vietnam limits cell phones due to number shortage

Published: 15 Jul 2009 00:23:04 PST

HANOI, July 15 - Vietnam will allow consumers to subscribe to a maximum three mobile phone numbers on each network from next month due to the limited amount of numbers available.

The country of around 87 million has nearly 111 million phone subscriptions, 88 percent of them -- over 97 million -- mobile phone users, Information and Communications Ministry data showed.

"Because the number of mobile phone numbers is limited, the telecom resources must be put into effective use," it said in a circular seen on Wednesday.

This month Beeline VN, 40 percent owned by Russian telecom company Vimpelcom, will launch a service, becoming the Southeast Asian country's seventh mobile phone service provider.