Cambodia launches 1st undersea communications cable

The Malaysia-Cambodia-Thailand (MCT) submarine cable was jointly invested by EZECOM Telcotech of Cambodia, Symphony Communication of Thailand and Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Paul Blanche-Horgan, chief executive officer of EZECOM Telcotech, said during the launching ceremony.

He said Cambodia's first submarine cable had been built by China's Huawei Marine Networks, a global submarine network provider.

The 1,300-km long MCT fiber optic cable system has a capacity of at least 30 Terabits per second with an investment of 100 million U.S. dollars, he said, adding that the MCT cable system landed in Sihanoukville of Cambodia, Rayong of Thailand, and Kuantan (Cherating) of Malaysia.

"It gives us direct route from Cambodia to Malaysia, Thailand and beyond to Singapore, China's Hong Kong, and the rest of the world," he said.

Paul said that currently, Cambodia relies on terrestrial fiber systems via neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.

"With the MCT fiber optic cable system, Cambodia will experience faster and more reliable internet speed," he said.

Speaking at the event, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng said that it was a new achievement in the Information and Communications Technology in Cambodia.

"With the undersea communications cable, I believe that internet and Facebook users will enjoy faster and more reliable internet speed with cheaper prices," he said.

Cambodian Telecoms Minister Tram Iv Tek said that currently, approximately 50 percent of the kingdom's nearly 15 million people have access to internet.

"I'm confident that the submarine cable system will narrow the digital gap between urban and rural areas and the number of internet users will be further increased," he said.

Mike Constable, chief executive officer of Huawei Marine Networks, said that Huawei was proud to build the mega-project, which would provide enormous advantages to the Cambodian economy and people.

"We designed the MCT fiber optic cable system for a 25-year lifetime," he said, adding that the system was built with the cutting-edge technology.