The Federation of Associations for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (Fasmec) and Metfone on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost the information technology (IT) capabilities of small business and help them adopt the latest technology.

Fasmec president Te Taingpor said it will share market information with Metfone and work with the mobile operator to provide IT training lo local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Metfone will also provide IT and technical support to SMEs, Taingpor said.

“Metfone will support these companies and help them adopt new technologies so that they can adapt to changes brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said.

Many SMEs in Cambodia, he said, rely on old technology and have a limited understanding of newer technological trends.

“I hope that this MoU will boost the competitiveness of Cambodian SMEs in the international market,” he said.

Metfone CEO Phung Van Cuong said his company will provide IT support to local businesses as part of the agreement signed on Monday.

“We want to bring the latest technology to SMEs in Cambodia. We promise to provide support to all Fasmec members free-of-charge,” he said.

He said Metfone has built an advanced network consisting of 23,000km of fibre-optic cables that serves nearly nine million Cambodians.

In its 11 years of operation in the Kingdom, Metfone has earned $2.3 billion in revenue and paid $600 million in taxes to the government, Cuong said.