Ezecom’s CEO talks about the digital world in Cambodia and the future of fibre optic networks that carry data

Q and A with Paul Blanche-Horgan

What is the future of the internet in Cambodia?

The future is looking very bright indeed. Just recently the Internet World Stats website reported that the number of internet users in Cambodia doubled in 2011. Now, according to those reports, there are about 500,000 internet users in the country.

In addition there is also a fast developing business sector with companies and businesses entering the market all the time. These new entrants all require communications services and facilities for their start-ups and expansions. This trend will continue.

Where does Ezecom fit in to this growth and development?

Ezecom’s recent acquisition of Telcotech has put the company in a leading position when it comes to IT in Cambodia. Now Ezecom covers over 90% of the country. The network itself consists of 7,500 kilometres of fibre optic cable spread out across Cambodia. In Phnom Penh alone there is 1,000 kilometres of cable. This means that we can connect almost anybody at any time.

This acquisition and our impressive network has led to increased speed and reduced prices for our customers. That, we hope, will continue. Over the past four years Ezecom has reduced its price four times and doubled its capacity on a number of occasions to help promote that growth.

In addition to investing in the network, we are also investing in people.  We have built up a team of some 170 highly motivated professionals whose primary goal is to take care of our customer demands and expectations.

When did you first come to Cambodia?

I have been working in communications in Cambodia since 1998. In those days IT and the internet were fairly new concepts here. The first internet service was a  dial-up service with a speed of 64kb. Today we are offering 100 mbps. We have come a very long way in a short space of time - and Ezecom has played a big part in that growth.

Today Cambodia’s communications infrastructure is highly sophisticated. By virtue of this and the country’s geographical position Cambodia is set to become an ASEAN hub. By 2015 Cambodia could well play a big part in ASEAN’s proposed ‘broadband corridor’.

What’s your vision for Cambodia’s internet future?

When it comes to the internet and communications, I would like to see the day when everybody in Cambodia is connected. With the speed at which Cambodia is developing that day might not be too far off. After all, according to independent reports, there are already 500,000 internet users nationwide. Next year there will be many more.