Original report from Phnom Penh
08 January 2009
The World Bank announced Thursday a $2.6 million grant to the government to build up telecommunications access in rural areas.
The World Bank said in a statement up to 52,000 poor households, or 260,000 Cambodians, would benefit from the grant, which will provide a subsidies for telecom providers in otherwise “commercially unviable” areas.
The grant, which will go toward developing the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Pursat, “some of Cambodia’s poorest,” said Qimao Fan, the World Bank’s Cambodia manager.
“The project will focus both on landlines and mobile phones, but the government wants more in mobile phones than landlines, because the installation of hand phones is a lower cost than landlines,” La Narath, secretary of state at the Telecommunications Ministry, said.
Users of mobile phones and landlines in the cities and towns are higher than in rural areas, he said. “But now we it is very difficult to estimate between rural and city residents mobile phone users,” he said.
Chin Bunsean, another secretary of state for the ministry, said in a statement “bridging the ‘digital divide’” was a priority of the government.
“It’s time that the people in rural areas are able to benefit from the same services, at the same quality and prices, that the people in the cities have been enjoying for so many years,” he said.
The World Bank said in a statement up to 52,000 poor households, or 260,000 Cambodians, would benefit from the grant, which will provide a subsidies for telecom providers in otherwise “commercially unviable” areas.
The grant, which will go toward developing the provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear and Pursat, “some of Cambodia’s poorest,” said Qimao Fan, the World Bank’s Cambodia manager.
“The project will focus both on landlines and mobile phones, but the government wants more in mobile phones than landlines, because the installation of hand phones is a lower cost than landlines,” La Narath, secretary of state at the Telecommunications Ministry, said.
Users of mobile phones and landlines in the cities and towns are higher than in rural areas, he said. “But now we it is very difficult to estimate between rural and city residents mobile phone users,” he said.
Chin Bunsean, another secretary of state for the ministry, said in a statement “bridging the ‘digital divide’” was a priority of the government.
“It’s time that the people in rural areas are able to benefit from the same services, at the same quality and prices, that the people in the cities have been enjoying for so many years,” he said.
9 comments:
Thank you for your kindness heart!!
How about food, water and highyne?
Any one own a phone is living above poverty line even he hungry and sick!!!!!
Should be toilet boot first? instead of Telephone?
What a fool?
It is for Cambodia "like or not"
I believe Khmer people except the telecom Grant.
Thank you!!
I rather see money spend on irrigation and equipments.
it's about the connecting people living rural remote areas to outside world... to the health services and others when needed.
Thanks world Bank for such a grant, but want more from you
of course, a lot of things are a priority to the khmer people's lives. got to start somewhere, too, you know! there no such thing anymore in traveling only on one road, especially when there are a lot of ways one can get to the same destination. it is called being smart and clever, my dear. please be smart in your view as nothing is set in stone anymore! welcome to the new cambodia, of course, we maintain certain old ways as well, especially if it serves us well, and we can adopt the new ones, too. god bless cambodia.
CPP government borrow $2.6 million U.S. dollars from the World Bank to help
Ah kwack Hun Sen families own Telecom Company. It is not for help the Cambodians.
These animals CPP always play the tricks to get money out from the World Bank.
This money is not for free; in the future Cambodians next generation must pay them back.
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