Subscribers paralyzed for many months, Gmobile advises customers not to throw away SIMs

The notice of support for Gmobile 2G postpaid subscribers with service interruption was posted on June 21, which is 3 months later than the time customers reported that they had a problem with completely losing signal.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Khanh, owner of a car showroom in Hanoi , said that he owns the number 0997xx6789 of Gmobile and has been using this number for a long time as the company's hotline. However, before Tet 2023, this subscription could not be used because there was no signal.

“When the subscriber cannot use the service, I also do not receive any notification or message from the network operator. Three months ago, I contacted Gmobile's call center to ask why there was no signal in Hanoi and received a very irresponsible answer that it was because the network was having problems. The network operator advised not to throw away the SIM card, they will notify me when the problem is over. Many customers and partners contacted this number of mine, but because there was no signal, they wondered if I had gone bankrupt and had to turn off my phone and run away,” Mr. Khanh said indignantly.

Recently, reader Nguyen Anh D, Hai Phong sent a letter to VietNamNet reporting that since March 2023, Gmobile network has cut off the signal, so his subscribers cannot use the service. After that, he went to the network's website and saw a notice that Gmobile's postpaid 2G subscriber support service was interrupted.

“I called the hotline and was told by the customer service staff that Gmobile subscribers would switch to using the network waves of MobiFone and VinaPhone, and that during this period, they would be temporarily unreachable. After that, the customer service staff instructed me to install the iZOTA application to listen and make calls. I had to top up to use it, but there was no SMS service,” Mr. D. shared.

Currently, his family is using 6 Gmobile numbers 0997xx5555, 099xx62222, 099xx22222, 099xx77777,... registered under his name. These numbers have been used to register bank accounts and social networking applications such as Zalo, Facebook, Telegram... so he is having trouble when he cannot use the service to change his password. Even making calls on iZOTA is unstable.

“I have contacted Gmobile’s customer service center many times, and the network operator’s staff confirmed that they do not know the company’s policy on the incident. Currently, the network operator has not made any moves to support customers like me. I request that the network operator restore the service soon so we can use it. Suppose our SIM is lost, who will be responsible for us?” Mr. D. said indignantly.

Reader Chung Anh in Hoa Binh also reported to VietNamNet that his phone number 0995xx999 has been “shelved” for a long time because the network suddenly cut off the signal. Chung Anh said he tried to call the network operator for support but could not get through.

Many Gmobile customers expressed their anger at this network for abandoning customers after cutting off the signal for many months now.

In an announcement posted on Gmobile's official website on June 21, 3 months later than the time customers reported that they had experienced a complete loss of signal, this network announced support for Gmobile 2G postpaid subscribers whose service was interrupted.

Accordingly, Gmobile has implemented a plan to support 2G postpaid subscribers using Gmobile services to switch to prepaid subscribers and keep the subscriber information intact according to current regulations. According to this announcement, for subscribers in the 0995 number range, customers can switch to a 4G physical SIM in cooperation with Vietnamobile. For subscribers in the 09968, 09969 number range, customers can switch to a 4G physical SIM in cooperation with MobiFone. For subscribers in the 09960, 09961, 09962, 09963, 09964 number range, customers use GSIM via the iZOTA application. For other number ranges, Gmobile will notify customers when the technical system is ready. Customers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City come directly to Gmobile transaction points to convert postpaid to prepaid subscriptions.

This is not the first time Gmobile customers have complained about their subscriptions being "shelved" for a long time because of no signal.

In June 2020, speaking at the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Information and Communications), Mr. Nguyen Truong Phi, General Director of Gmobile, said that currently, Gmobile mobile network only has 2G network, no 3G and 4G. Since 2014, to expand coverage for customers, Gmobile has been roaming 2G with VinaPhone. In the near future, Gtel wants to develop 5G network.

However, Mr. Nguyen Truong Phi admitted that investing in 5G is expensive. The purpose of the 5G network is to serve the needs of the Internet of Things (IoT), so it requires a very large infrastructure and detailed infrastructure such as electric poles, lighting, signal lights, etc. Therefore, Gtel wants to share infrastructure with other network operators to reduce investment costs and increase business efficiency. According to the agreement signed between Gtel and Viettel, VNPT and MobiFone on June 10, 2020, the parties will share the infrastructure of about 200 transceiver stations.

VietNamNet is contacting Gmobile to provide readers with information about the long-term signal loss phenomenon of this network.

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