A photo of Seatel's office building in Cambodia during its inauguration. (Photo : www.seatelgroup.com)
Internet speed and call services are expected to improve in Cambodia as Chinese-owned Southeast Asia Telecom (Cambodia) Co., known as Seatel, officially launched its fourth-generation (4G) network in Cambodia, Phnom Penh Post, a local newspaper, reported on Monday, July 27.
Seatel said that the 4G network is currently available in 17 provinces, including the capital city of Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk, Kandal and Siem Reap. The remaining provinces will be covered by year-end, the company said.
The Chinese-owned firm entered Cambodia's congested telecommunications sector last year, the newspaper said.
"We have been constructing a 4G network with a speed 10 times higher than that of 3G," Han Hanchou, general manager of Seatel Cambodia, was quoted as saying at a launching ceremony on Sunday, July 26. "Our fiber network extends nearly 7,000 kilometers in Cambodia."
Han said that the company has already spent $100 million out of Seatel's total planned investment of about $400 million.
With 4G VoLTE (voice services over LTE networks) services, Seatel has pledged to give customers high-speed Internet and high-quality call services.
According to the report, the only other 4G provider in Cambodia is Smart Axiata.
Moa Chakrya, chairman of the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia, welcomed Seatel's entry into the market, saying that it was proof of Cambodia's open and competitive telecom policy.
The Cambodian official added that the new development will help boost the industry, but said that he did not expect to see operators in the sector to engage in a "price war."
"Their mobile technology enables us to narrow the digital gap between Cambodia and developed countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," Chakrya remarked.
There are six mobile phone operators and 27 Internet service providers in Cambodia.
