Landmark digital agreement signed

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with local conglomerate Royal Group to boost Cambodia’s digital transformation.

The agreement was signed at the ministry between Secretary of State Sok Puthyvuth and Royal Group’s chairman Kith Meng. The Minister of Telecommunications, Tram Iv Tek, attended the ceremony.

This public-private partnership (PPP) will serve as a model for future collaborations with the private sector, said Mr Puthyvuth.

“To achieve our priorities, PPPs like this are needed,” he said.

“As a leading telecommunications company with mobile operations and investments in a submarine cable, we concluded that Royal Group would be the ideal partner to boost Cambodia’s development and digital transformation,” Mr Puthyvuth said.

He said the agreement focuses mainly on building the policy framework and regulations, as well as developing e-government applications, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, strengthening cybersecurity, and building an ICT innovation centre and a cloud data centre.

“I do believe this strong partnership between the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and Royal Group will lead the way to other kinds of PPPs in other areas,” he said.

Ian Watson, CEO of Cellcard, a leading mobile operator affiliated with Royal Group, said Royal Group has been at the forefront of ICT development and investment in Cambodia for the past 23 years, with affiliates that include Ezecom.

With over 10,000 kilometres of fibre already in place, Ezecom has one of the biggest fibre deployments in Cambodia, Mr Watson noted.

Other affiliates include Wing, who has built one of the most successful mobile money platforms in the Kingdom and helped expand financial inclusion and literacy across Cambodia, he pointed out.

Read more...