International Business

Vietnam Gives Initial OK to Telephone Deal: The government’s tentative agreement to buy wireless telephones from Hughes Network Systems Inc. is worth at least $100 million, the company said. Hughes Network, a subsidiary of GM Hughes Electronics, plans to supply Ho Chi Minh City, which has fewer than five telephones for every 100 people, with up to 120,000 digital phone lines. Vietnam, which has only three telephones for every 1,000 people nationwide, hopes to improve that to one for every 100 by the end of next year.