Cambodia sets up telco regulatory body
Cambodia on Thursday officially launched the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) which will be responsible for overseeing the country's telecoms sector.
The TRC will govern rules and regulations in the sector with authority over spectrum and fair-price setting by telecoms operator, said Minister of Posts and Telecoms So Khun at a launch ceremony, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
The regulatory body is authorized to inspect and supervise techniques and administration on the construction, operation, distribution, and use of networks and telecommunications as well as information technologies.
"This is a new achievement for the country in reforming telecoms sector," So said. "The regulatory body will help to build more confidence among investors."
At the event, Mao Chakrya, TRC's newly-appointed director-general also vowed to strengthen existing laws and regulations, formulate new rules and regulations to keep up with the development of sophisticated technologies, and ensure a fair and transparent atmosphere for telecommunications operators.
Potential for growth
According to the ministry's report, as of June 2012, the country's eight mobile phone operators had sold 19.64 million SIM cards, exceeding the country's population of about 14.5 million. In terms of online use, the kingdom has about 30 Internet service providers serving 1.86 million customers.
In a previous ZDNet Asia report, industry watchers and IT vendors said Cambodia had the potential to be the next growth engine for the Southeast Asia region.
In particular, it has widespread smartphone usage, noted Paul Wilson, director-general of Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC). In this, wireless communications is already the norm for most Cambodians and it is clear wireless broadband will be the primary means for its citizens to access broadband services, Wilson said.
Jamie Harper, general manager of Southeast Asia new markets at Microsoft, also observed the willingness by both the private and public sectors in Cambodia to invest and grow using IT, bodes well for the development of the local tech sector.