With the access traffic to digital apps via mobile devices-- accounting for 10-30 percent of the total access traffic, big Internet firms in Vietnam have all forecast that the market of digital apps on mobile phones would witness a boom in the time to come.

The tendency of converging three screens – computer screen, TV screen and mobile phone screen has created the most diversified opportunities than ever for users to access information.

In Vietnam, right in September 2010, Zing launched Zing Me on iOS, which was considered the first step taken by the company to the market of apps on smart phones. After that, in March 2011, Zing launched Zing apps on iOS and Android integrating three Zing’s services – music MP3, news and social network Zing Me.

Zing has stepped forward since then with the effort to converge the third screen – TV screen – when it integrated Zing entertainment store on Sony Internet TV in early September with Zing news into Samsung’s Internet TV in April 2012.

In November 2011, Zing became the first Internet firm in Vietnam that cooperated with a mobile phone manufacturer (Samsung) to launch a mobile phone model - Galaxy Y – Zing Phone.

In April 2012, VC Corp, another big guy in the Vietnam’s Internet community, signed a cooperation agreement with LG Electronics Vietnam on integrating 10 online content services and Soha Pay online payment instrument of VC Corp into LG Cinema 3D Smart TV.

In June 2011, another domestic social network – Go.vn – also launched the version for mobile phones. Designed in a simple but friendly way, Go.vn has focused on satisfying the users’ demand in communication (news), and entertainment (music, clips) and education.

As for smart TVs, besides the existing partners like Panasonic and LG, Go plans to join forces with some electronics manufacturers like Samsung and Sony in 2012 to develop the services in the sector.

“Content on smart TV is also a development trend, but it would come after mobile phone,” said Phan Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of VTC Online.

According to Vuong Quang Khai, Deputy General Director of VNG, Zing has 2 million clients a month who use its services on mobile phones, which is equal to 1/7 of the total people using Zing’s services on websites.

At the ceremony on declaring Intel’s investment in VC Corp and the five year development strategy on June 26, Nguyen The Tan, Deputy General Director of VC Corp said VC Corp can count 2 million hits every day accessing to read newspaper via mobile phone.

Meanwhile, according to Tuan, the number of accesses via mobile phones account for 20-30 percent of the total accesses to Go.vn. Go has noted the difference in the habits of the computer users and mobile phone users.

Also according to Khai and Tan, smart phones have become more popular, which would lead to the higher number of smart phone users. One can own a smart phone with just 4 million dong, while the 3G service fee has become cheaper (tens of thousands of dong), which would be the driving force for the development of Internet mobile market.

Tan has predicted that the number of people accessing to Internet via mobile phones would reach 30 million in the time to come.

Khai said all mobile phone users have the demand to communicate at any time and anywhere. Therefore, Zing would focus on developing the tools for communication.

VNG plans to launch Zin g Talk to the market in the third quarter of 2012, which allows people to chat, send messages and share images with friends.

Source: Buu Dien/ VNN