Cambodia’s Minister of Posts and Telecommunications has reportedly promised that his ministry is preparing to deploy 5G technology in the “near future” to support the country’s digital ambitions.
According to the Khmer Times, MPT Minister Chea Vandes said the ministry is working out a policy to give carriers access to the 100MHz spectrum needed to operate 5G networks.
Speaking at the first Digital Government Forum and Digital Technology Expo in Phnom Penh on Monday, Vandes said the ministry is working to connect the entire country with 5G, but the The schedule was not disclosed.
“Cambodia will consider implementing 5G technology at an appropriate time in the near future,” Vandess was quoted as saying.
In the meantime, MPT continues to promote 4G mobile and internet services, especially for schools, health centres, municipalities and police stations, the report said.
This isn’t the first time MPT has promised that 5G is just around the corner. Cambodian carriers Metfone, Smart Axiata and CamGSM (also known as Cellcard) conducted 5G trials from 2018 to 2020, but MPT withdrew their trial licenses in 2020. Ostensibly out of concern that it would be wasteful and inefficient for everyone to build their own 5G infrastructure. .
In 2021, Vandès said more or less the same thing, according to media reports: The ministry was studying 5G and working on policies to allocate frequencies for it.
What may be different this time is that Cambodia has seen a surge in mobile internet usage in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic, increasing pressure on the country’s 4G network.
The report notes that Vandes framed his comments on 5G in the context of building digital infrastructure in Cambodia, stating that this is the ministry’s top priority.
At the same forum this week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet praised the country’s digital progress. Hung cited statistics showing that digital payments in Cambodia amounted to approximately US$492 billion at the end of 2023, which is approximately 16 times the country’s GDP.