Telecom Cambodia inks cooperation deal with VNPT

Tuesday 20 December 2011
TelecomPaper

State-owned Telecom Cambodia has signed a business cooperation agreement with state-owned Vietnam National Post and Telecommunications in order to bolster TC's product portfolio and coverage area, reports The Phnom Penh Post citing company officials. Telecom Cambodia offers both fixed-line phone and inte rnet services in the Kingdom. Vietnam National Post and Telecommunications will provide the technology and equipment necessary for Telecom Cambodia to grow its operations in the Kingdom, and in turn allow the company to better compete in a crowded sector, TC director general Lao Saroeun said. He said that this deal will help them to increase number of customers, expanding business activities and generating more revenue. The boost in services would also result in lower prices for customers, he added. Lao Saroeun declined to offer the financial details of the agreement, which is set to begin early next year, saying only that some kind of revenue-sharing agreement would be reached. Vietnam National Post and Telecommunications officials could not be reached for comment.

Cambodia's Postal System for Sale next

Cambodia's Post to Go Public for Increasing Transparency, Revenue

2010-06-07
Xinhua

Cambodia's postal system will be become a public enterprise early next year in a bid to prepare for eventually listing on the domestic stock exchange, local media reported on Monday.

"The government has targeted listing it on the upcoming stock market, so it will become a public enterprise to increase transparency in account standards and financial statements," Sarak Khann, secretary of state of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC), was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying. "When it is transparent enough and generates sufficient revenue, it may be listed on the bourse."

The Council of Ministers approved a draft sub-decree establishing Cambodia's postal office as a public enterprise. Prepared by the MPTC, the sub-decree moves the postal system to a public enterprise to reform the management system, according to a press release issued Friday. It added that the system would take advantage of modern information technology to track postal consignments, along with expanding service in remote areas.

Cambodia's postal services were poorly developed, said Sarak Khann, who also leads a joint committee composed a MPTC and Ministry of Finance officials in evaluating the properties and capital of the system.

"We want to generate revenue from this sector like developed countries, not just around 2 million U.S. dollars a year it earns nowadays," he said.

Some 20 local and foreign companies are licenced to do business in postal services, but only half are presently in operation, he said.

Cambodia's postal system presently includes 700 employees working at 80 post offices in 24 cities. Employees working for both the postal system and government ministries will have to choose one employer when the move to a public enterprise takes place, Sarak Khann said.

The Cambodian Securities Exchange is scheduled to launch by the end of the year, and any qualified private firm or public enterprise is eligible to list, Cambodia Securities and Exchange Commission (SECC) director general Ming Bankosal said.

The unreliable Cambodia Postal Service

By Kimann

E-Commerce to wait until the Cambodian Postal Service is ready

Over the past several years, news on Cambodia Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MPTC) in the media tends tend to be less except a few news on giving new licenses to new telecom companies.

Most of the Cambodians, who are involving in mailing, doubt about what exactly MPTC is doing at doing. One of the most criticized functions of the MPTC is The Postal Service. Postal Service is most important in every country for E-commerce. Malaysia for example has enjoyed E-commerce from their most reliable postal services and if the country's postal service is not reliable and uncountable then Cambodia has two wait for 10 more years until those people at the MPTC retire and new next generation of professionals are in place.

The current civil servants at MPTC tend to be those old sheep who try to take the opportunity, before their retirement, to make extra money popularly called "corruption" in Cambodia. Their works is of most inefficient and bureaucratic.

Taking money from mailers is not as much important than the value of the lost mails and packages that never reach their destinations. Tourists and local people are having similar complaints on the Cambodian Postal Service but they keep such disappointments inside their hearts because they do not know how to file their complaints and with who.

The above mentioned complaints on corruption, bureaucratic and inefficiency are not much worse than the bad attitudes and habits of opening postal customer' mail or package for valuable items. If the items worth what they want, they would keep the item for themselves (better to rephrase this as theft) and throw the mail or package into the rubbish bin.

One story of a man who won the US DV lottery several years ago was perhaps the worse case and painful. A mail containing important document was sent to him from the US States Department but the mail never reached him while the guy had to go to Bangkok to check with the US embassy in Thailand. He spent a lot of money for his trip to Thailand but he lacked additional supported documents. He was disqualified.

Recently I ordered online a small item from Malaysia for my hobby. Due to the size and weight of the item, the vendor provides free shipping to customers through Airmail. Twenty three days after the date of order, I got no news about my package from the Post Office of my package which should be within 7-15 days at the latest to business address.

So what would the ongoing operation of MPTC contribute to the development of the country and e-commerce? What are currently the development of postal code and people mailing address? Who at MPTC is responsible for the postal service?

The Cambodian postal service website is amazing sometimes works and sometimes not working with the slogan boasting of their reliability and best practice.

The above article is my individual opinions. I would condemn those who violate mailing privilege as theft, unethical and must not allow working in the post office or postal services. In other countries, if you open one's mail you will be sued and bring to court for violating people privilege and right but it would be OK if the government of Cambodia wishes Cambodia to be considered as a lawless country.

Cambodian Telecoms sector could bring in $500 mln revenue annually for gov't [... if there's no embezzlement!]

PHNOM PENH, June 2 (Xinhua) -- With a rising number of mobile phone and internet users, Cambodia is gearing up income collection measures to help the government reap hundreds of millions of dollars from the telecoms sector in the near future, local media reported Monday.

"If we manage the sector well and take VAT (Value Add Tax), the government could one day earn 400 million to 500 million U.S. dollars annually," So Khun, posts and telecommunication minister, was quoted as saying in the Mekong Times newspaper.

He added that the government is currently streamlining its taxation process to build on current annual revenues, which he hopes will reach 70-80 million U.S. dollars this year.

Cambodia currently has around 2.5 million mobile phone and over 37,500 landline and internet users, though telecommunications revenues in recent years have sagged to 31-36 million U.S. dollars.

The figures are low due to poor income collection, said analysts, who argue that in 1995 revenues were greater at 46 million U.S. dollars.

Deputy-director of the Telecommunications department transferred [to new position after corruption charge]

Nhiek Kosal Vithya (L) and So Khun (R)

20 April 2008
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications had recently decided to remove Nhiek Kosal Vithya from his position as deputy director of the Telecommunications department while he is accused of corruption, embezzlement of million dollars of state funds from the network and the national and international telephone system in Cambodia.

The removal of Nhiek Kosal Vithya took place during a position transfer following the end of his 3-year term.

So Khun, the minister of Post and Telecommunication, told RFA on Sunday that: “It’s the end of his term. He only worked for three years, therefore after three years, we must change.” When asked if this removal is connected to the corruption accusation, So Khun replied: “We leave this to the police to research some more, because the ministry’s audition in connection with the Parliament, they are still continuing their research some more.”

The position transfer took place last Friday stemming from a sub-decree nominating Lao Saroeun as the replacement for Nhiek Kosal Vithya who will still hold a position at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, even though he is under investigation by the relevant department for the corruption accusation.

Yang Kim Eng, director of the People Center for Development and Peace in Cambodia which is a member organization of the civil society against corruption, said: “This is the normal way of the government, there’s only a position change from one place to another. This measure does not teach anything to the corrupt officials.”

SRP MP Yim Sovann who is also the chairman of the National Assembly committee for the Interior, Defense, Investigation and cleanup, and Public Works, reacted by saying: “Mr. Nhiek Kosal Vithyea was not the only one involved in corruption and embezzlement of many million of dollars in state funds. But, up to now, the position change opens the path for the investigation, we welcome it. For all cases, we ask for a proper investigation by an independent committee.”

Based on research report issued by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in September 2007, 8 points were found, including Nhiek Kosal Vithya’s 2006 embezzlement of state funds whereby 51% of the international phone revenue which should be paid to the state – an amount totaling 1.656 billion riels (~$414,000) – but only 5% of the amount was actually recorded as revenue. He is also allegedly involved in inflating the number of his advisors from 7 to 9, as well as the number of aid workers, he was accused of pocketing the salaries of the ghost workers. There were also additional accusations made by the ministry.

Nhiek Kosal Vithya could not be reached on Sunday about these corruption charges.