Cambodia to launch 5G services with Huawei equipment

Cambodia's leading mobile telecommunications company Smart Axiata has partnered with China's technology giant Huawei to build the 5G network in the country, representatives of the two companies said on Monday.Speaking during the first 5G live trial showcase here, Smart Axiata Chief Executive Officer Thomas Hundt said the company hoped to initially roll out the 5G service in Cambodia's major cities by the end of this year.This will make Cambodia one of the first countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to launch 5G."The Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia gave us the permission to carry out the 5G live trial showcase, but the commercial license has to be granted obviously later on by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications," he said. "I very hope that this year 2019, we can bring 5G to commercial operations."He said the deployment of 5G network would cost hundreds of million U.S. dollars."Our mission is to enrich the lives of millions of Cambodians through world-class networks and exceptional digital experiences, which is why we invest 70 to 80 million U.S. dollars yearly, primarily in network infrastructure, to improve mobile broadband connectivity across the kingdom," he said.Smart Axiata currently serves about eight million subscribers in Cambodia.

Signage is displayed at the Huawei Technologies Co. booth during the MWC Shanghai exhibition in Shanghai, China, June 27, 2019. /VCG Photo

Huawei is a reliable and competent partnerCommenting on partnering with Huawei for the development of 5G network in the Southeast Asian country, Hundt said Huawei is Smart's reliable and competent partner."We have been working with Huawei for many years. Huawei is a reliable partner of Smart," he said. "As we see today, without Huawei, we will not be able to showcase on trial the 5G network. They have technology, they have capability... we are proud to work with them to build such a network."Hundt said the company will continue to improve its existing 4G service while preparing for future technologies like 5G.At the event, the Internet speed of 5G network was tested and showed that it could download one Gigabyte data in less than 20 seconds.Aaron Wang, chief technology officer of Huawei Wireless Network, said at the event that Huawei was very pleased to build the 5G network for Smart."Cambodia was the leading country that deployed 4G early in Southeast Asia, and in 5G era, I wish Cambodia would be the leading country again," he said."As of today, Huawei has 50 5G commercial contracts and shipped 150,000 base stations worldwide," he added.Cambodia has six mobile phone operators and about 40 Internet service providers. In May, Huawei also signed a memorandum of understanding with the state-owned Telecom Cambodia to build 5G network in Cambodia.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)