Thailand
Cambodia: Mobile internet subscribers exceed population numbers
Mobile internet subscribers in Cambodia are increasing and its subscribers overwhelm the general population.
Meanwhile, mobile phone subscribers (Sim Card users) have registered a decrease.
Figures from the Telecommunication Regulators of Cambodia, as of September this year, shows that the number of mobile internet subscribers was at 17.53 million, increasing from 16.331 million as of December last year.
The number of fixed internet subscribers reached 317,907 as of September this year, increasing from 283,508 as of the end last year, read the report.
The increase of mobile and fixed internet subscribers have been seen amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which pushed people to rely on internet largely on web surfing.
The telecommunication regulator stated that from January to September this year, the number of mobile phone subscribers was 20.455 million as of September this year, inching down from 20.827 million from end of last year.
The fixed phone subscribers also experienced a decrease with 41,956 users from 49,381 users by 2020.
The current population of Cambodia is 16,884,284 as of March, 2021.
Officials of the Telecommunication Regulators of Cambodia could not be reached for comments.
Chea Vandeth, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, told Khmer Times the growth has been backed mainly by the development of telecommunication infrastructure and because of the pandemic, more people have turned to use the internet on digital platforms, which boosts demand for internet surfing.
Vandeth said his ministry has been developing a digital government policy for 2021-2035 that will serve as a roadmap for providing better public services through the use of digital technology.
Some of the priority activities that will be set out include building more telecommunications infrastructure, improving telephone and internet services, strengthening the capacity of information communications technology through research and development, building up local human resources and promoting accountability and transparency in the provision of public services through the use of digital systems.
Currently, there are five mobile service providers in Cambodia – Smart, Cellcard, Viettel, Cootel and SeaTel, and six fixed phone companies.
Internet service provider (ISP) licenses were given to 44, 12 VoIP licenses, and 3 telecom sharing licenses as of September this year.
Other licenses are two optical cable networks, two submarine cables, a value added network, and a toll fee network.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50987780/mobile-internet-subscribers-exceed-population-numbers/