VIENTIANE, 28th September — President Bounnhang Vorachith of the Democratic People’s Republic of Laos, has received the credentials of Khaled Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Shuhail, UAE Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and the Non-Resident Ambassador in Laos, during an official ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane.
Unitel Reaches $1 Billion Revenue Figure In Laos
Unitel, the brand name of Viettel in Laos, reached US$1 billion in cumulative revenue in seven years of operation in the country.
Mobile TV service of Unitel. The company has installed 4,000 base transceiver stations and 23,000km of fibre-optic cable across Laos to bring telecom services to all districts in Laos and 95 per cent of its population.
Being the second overseas brand name of Viettel, after Metfone in Cambodia, Unitel has rapidly become the number one mobile network provider in Laos. It made a cumulative profit of more than $300 million.
Unitel has 2.5 million subscribers, accounting for 47 per cent of mobile market share and 35 per cent of broadband market share.
The company has installed 4,000 base transceiver stations and 23,000km of fibre-optic cable across Laos to bring telecom services to all districts in Laos and 95 per cent of its population. In particular, the company has been providing the 4G service since June last year.
Unitel has helped to change the telecommunication market significantly with mobile use increasing from 18 per cent in 2009 to 68 per cent in 2016. It has created jobs for more than 4,000 locals, while an additional 20,000 indirect jobs have been created through their collaborator programmes and partners.
According to a report made public in April this year by Brand Finance, an independent intangible asset valuation consultancy based in the United Kingdom, Unitel is the number one effective telecommunication brand name in ASEAN. Its brand value increased by 106 per cent compared with 2015, reaching $132 million.
Till mid-September 2016, Viettel had increased its foreign subscribers to 26 million in Laos, Cambodia, East Timor and Cameroon, as well as Haiti, Mozambique, Burundi, Peru and Tanzania, bringing the total to 90 million subscribers (including Viet Nam). The company has been listed among the top 30 telecommunication groups with the highest number of subscribers in the world according to statistics of GSMA Intelligence.
The company earned $493.8 million in revenue from its overseas markets in the first six months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 13 per cent.
In the domestic market, Viettel recently erected a mobile base transceiver station to serve 1,000 workers working to drill a tunnel in Ca Hill. Since the hill is located in a forest, the military-owned company had to install 3km of fibre-optic cable.
Work on the 13.4km tunnel between the central provinces of Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa began in late 2012. Designed and built by Vietnamese engineers and workers, it is the second longest tunnel in the country after Hai Van.
“It is Viettel’s social responsibility to serve engineers and workers involved in a national project,” Trinh Ai Duong, deputy director of Viettel Phu Yen, said.
Source: Vietnam Net
Foreign Robbers Steal Over $35,000 from Unsuspecting Employee Near Indochina Bank
Nongbone, Vientiane Capital, Sept 28 – A group of three men who eyewitnesses have described as 30 year-olds of foreign descent stole cash in the amount of $35,661 from a finance employee of Lao Freight Forwarder, who was tasked by the said company to withdraw the money from Indochina Bank. The incident happened at approximately 2:30pm.
It is surmised that one of the men followed the employee’s movements as she had been withdrawing the money while her driver was waiting in the company car. Apparently unbeknownst to the driver, another member of the group had slashed the tires of the car prompting the driver to step outside. Upon leaving the bank, the finance officer placed the cash inside the car and proceeded to inspect the slashed tires with the driver. Based on Kolao/Indochina Bank CCTV footage, it can be seen that a man wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans carrying a backpack was seen distracting the young lady while his accomplice effortlessly swooped in from the other side of the street to open the driver’s car door and steal the cash. This man was seen to have driven off in a white Ford pick-up truck with a white license plate number ກຈ 3716.
A concerned citizen who chose not to be named attempted to follow the suspects’ vehicle but was forced to back off after the thieves had brandished a gun. The concerned citizen, however, observed that one of the gunmen had a distinctive tattoo on his left arm and leg and was of approximately 1.7m tall.
Police are currently on the lookout for the men who are believed to be armed and dangerous and the getaway vehicle. Anyone with any information about the thieves is urged to inform the relevant authorities immediately.
Local police have urged citizens handling large amounts of money near banks to be especially cautious and take precautionary measures to ensure that their personal funds are safe.
CCTV footage 1 seen here.
CCTV footage 2 seen here.
Man distracting employee.
Man who stole cash.
Laotian Times Reporters
September 28th, 2016
Schoolchildren Have It All Figured Out in Maths Contest
The Department of Education and Sports in cooperation with the Smart Math Centre on Sunday organised the second Vientiane Smart Math Competition to give children the chance to share and build their experiences in mathematics.
Lao, Japanese Medics Review Progress in Gastrointestinal Treatment
The number of gastrointestinal problems identified at Mahosot Hospital increased significantly this year as a result of better testing and diagnosis, according to experts in the field.
Educators Beef Up on Test Design
Education officials are taking part in a capacity development workshop on test development and design in schools.
Ministry Bans Sale of Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications announced on Tuesday that shops and mobile phone distributors nationwide are to stop importing and distributing the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.
Flood Protection Embankment to Be Built in Hadxaifong
Construction of a 30-km embankment along the Mekong River starting near the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Vientiane will soon begin.