Communications infrastructure

Two former Radio Free Asia reporters arrested on Tuesday night remained in detention at Phnom Penh Municipal Police headquarters yesterday evening, with authorities confirming that the pair were under investigation for allegedly sending news reports to the radio broadcaster. ...

Private-sector investment into technology can help developing countries meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), representatives said yesterday at a conference, sparking debate on how Cambodian entrepreneurs can incorporate humanitarian goals into core business operations. ...

The Ministry of Interior yesterday launched its new television station NICE TV that will focus on broadcasts related to crime crackdowns and government achievements. NICE TV is a joint establishment between the Ministry of Interior and a Chinese firm, NICE Culture Investment Group. ...

Government mouthpiece Fresh News yesterday launched a new internet radio service, appearing poised to move into the gap left by a government crackdown on independent broadcasters over the last six weeks. ...

The Kingdom’s computer networks, including government servers, are reported to be the targets of a virus unique to Cambodia and deployed through spam emails and phishing campaigns, which lure victims with emails disguised as official communications, though officials yesterday maintained they were unaffected. ...

Cambodia is among the most vulnerable countries in Asia when it comes to viruses, spam, spyware and other cyberthreats, according to a recent report from Microsoft. ...

Telecommunication operators are being pushed to develop connecting telecommunication infrastructure to enable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) connectivity from urban to rural areas. ...

International condemnation for the government’s continued clampdown on NGOs and independent media organisations continued to flow in over the weekend, with Human Rights Watch (HRW) calling it an “escalating campaign of politically-motivated harassment, intimidation, and legal action”. ...

The Ministry of Information has closed down multiple radio stations that have been renting airtime to the opposition CNRP party and to two radio news organisations that have been under fire from the government. ...

Cambodia’s telecommunications regulator has called on seven mobile network operators to give an assurance by September 1 that they have registered all their subscribers in accordance with a directive from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication and the Ministry of Interior. ...

After receiving a letter from the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the request to take actions against the Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America located in Cambodia, which have been actively engaged in broadcasting and renting airtime from other radio stations yet ...

About 200 Chinese people were arrested yesterday in two Poipet guesthouses in a bust on a scam operation that targeted civil servants in China with blackmail, according to police. ...

Viettel Group, the Vietnamese military-owned operator of Cambodian mobile operator Metfone, expects to pull in $1.4 billion in revenue this year from overseas investments, Vietnamese state-owned media reported yesterday. ...

The first mobile app offering a comprehensive and interactive history of the Khmer Rouge, created in the hopes of ending a “collective denial” about some of the atrocities committed by the Pol Pot regime, went live on Tuesday. ...

The Kingdom’s telecom regulator has revoked the licences of three internet service providers (ISPs) after finding that the companies were no longer operating. ...

Cambodia’s telecom regulator has urged mobile phone network operators to be more transparent on the fees they charge subscribers on opt-in services and to ensure that users are not charged for services they have not requested. ...

Mobile World Investment (MWG), one of the largest mobile phone and electronics distribution chains in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, has opened its first overseas store in Cambodia. ...

The Telecom Regulator of Cambodia yesterday issued a directive to mobile operators to ensure they are transparent with automatic fees charged to customers after a spike in complaints.   ...

The Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia yesterday urged all mobile operators to ensure that their services remain uninterrupted throughout the remainder of the commune election campaign period and during this weekend’s polling. ...

Cambodian telecom Smart Axiata retained healthy growth in the first quarter, with revenue rising 17 percent year-on-year to 318,000,000 ringgit ($74.5 million), fuelled by data monetisation and effective cost management despite aggressive price competition by other telecommunication players, according to financials released by Malaysian parent ...

The Kingdom’s telecom regulator has threatened to strip the operating licence of a local internet service provider (ISP) whose owners appear to have shut down operations and skipped town. ...

Axiata Group sold a 10 percent stake of its Cambodian subsidiary Smart Axiata to Japanese group Mitsui Co Ltd to form a strategic partnership and further the firm’s activity in the Kingdom, according to a company release on Friday. ...

Lack of trust from investors has so far limited the growth potential of the growing number of Cambodian technology startups. Five-year old Khmerload, a Cambodian entertainment news website modeled after the American media giant Buzzfeed, has become one of the country’s first local tech startups ...

Smart Axiata, Cambodia’s leading telecommunications company, yesterday launched a $5 million venture capital fund for digital service companies and start-ups in the country. The Smart Axiata Digital Innovation Fund aims to meet demands for cash and expertise as the number of Cambodian digital entrepreneurs increases rapidly. ...