President Abinader defends Viettel's entry into Dominican telecom market

Dominican President Luis Abinader has defended the entry of the Vietnamese state-owned multinational Viettel Global Investment into the Dominican Republic’s telecommunications market. The decision follows an international public tender by the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel), which awarded Viettel the rights to use 240 MHz of the radio spectrum for a 20-year concession. Additionally, Claro Dominicana was awarded 20 MHz in the 700 MHz band for the remaining 15 years of its concession.

Abinader stated that the government aims to foster competition to lower prices and improve service quality, noting that current local telecommunications costs are above the regional average. Addressing concerns regarding the company's origin, the President emphasized that Vietnam is an ally of the United States, suggesting the company's background should not be a cause for concern. The arrival of a new operator is expected to challenge the current market structure, which is characterized by a high concentration of users among a few companies.