Universal Service Policy in Vietnam: A Supply � Demand Perspective

Abstract

Universal service provision is a key to bridge the digital divide. This paper provides an empirical examination of the Vietnamese universal policy introduced in 2015 for implementation up to 2020. Using the framework of King et al. (1994) the paper analyses the universal services policy in Vietnam as well as the policies of broadband development in South Korea and Japan in order to clarify the types of universal service initiatives made in these countries. Furthermore, the paper compares the universal service policy in Vietnam with the broadband development policy in South Korea and in Japan in order to evaluate whether the Vietnamese universal policy is efficient. The paper concludes with a discussion of how an effective universal policy can be designed.