Metfone Aims To Create A Flat World By Dropping Roaming Charges

Metfone has launched its new roaming plan for subscribers, dubbed “Roam Like Home”, with rates for calls and text messages to users on partner networks Unitel in Laos and Viettel in Vietnam dropping to as low as local rates. 

From the start of this year, Metfone users could also use roaming data services in Vietnam and Laos at around 150 times cheaper than charges offered by other operators in Cambodia – just one cent per Mb. International calls now cost 15 times cheaper (nine cents per minute) and can be received for free, including from Cambodia when you are roaming on Unitel or Viettel, while SMS messages are 10 times cheaper (two cents per message). 

Metfone, the most profitable subsidiary of military-run Viettel, say they hope to create a “flat world” in telecoms by removing their roaming charges, which could contribute to better business and trade promotion among the three neighbouring countries, as well as allowing low-income users to enjoy previously unaffordable roaming services. The new policy will benefit over 70 million regional subscribers of the Viettel network.