The management of the Housing Development Association of Cambodia (HDAC) has vowed to join the government in a push to spread the word among owners of specific types of residential projects not to allow the unauthorised construction of telecoms infrastructure within the boundary of their developments.

The campaign encourages mobile and internet service providers to explore other avenues to improve the quality of their services and streamline processes and operations.

The Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) on November 11 issued Letter No 2334 addressed to the HDAC that outlined the initiative, established by the Council of Ministers, or Cabinet.

The letter identified the types of developments involved as borey gated-communities, condominiums, co-owner buildings and “downtowns”.

It noted that the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications had set up a working group to enhance the quality of telecoms services in gated communities, led by minister Chea Vandeth.

The letter requested the HDAC management to get the word out to property owners not to allow telecoms infrastructure to be installed on the premises without the TRC’s advance permission, and to make it easier for the working group to liaise with the relevant telecoms operators and tackle matters concerning unauthorised construction and service quality.

HDAC secretary-general Huy Vanna told The Post on November 14 that the association was eager to work with the TRC, and emphasised that Cambodia adheres to a free market policy.

He said that competition not only lowers costs, but also improves service quality and internet speeds.

“The association will work hard to disseminate, as it will provide a common benefit for the public in terms of price and quality of service,” he said.

However, the campaign could pose problems when it comes to the provision of services, he cautioned, saying that underground networks have to be prepared before a building even breaks ground.

Payment plans and other preparations for the networks require discussion between all stakeholders, he added.

“In the past, some internet service providers have refused to pay for the networks, but want to connect to other companies’ networks that have already been built,” Vanna said.

The number of active mobile phone subscriptions in the Kingdom was 20,816,616 as of the end of April, up 1.64 per cent from 20,481,051 at the end of May 2020, the latest data from the TRC show.

The TRC previously reported that the number of mobile internet subscriptions recorded a 2.36 per cent year-on-year drop to 14,863,435 in May 2020, whereas fixed broadband internet subscriptions logged a 33.07 per cent climb to 249,132.