THE Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has ordered Thai telecom companies to halt unauthorised operations inside the Cambodian border, according to an announcement.

Several unnamed Thai mobile service providers have constructed towers inside the Cambodian border without authorisation, said Ministry Secretary of State Sarak Khan.

“Illegal use will impact [Cambodian] profits, if local people continue to use their service,” he said late last week.

The ministry had been aware of the situation for some time, though it had not acted because the quality of coverage had otherwise not been strong in certain areas of Koh Kong, Battambang, Preah Vihear, Banteay Meancheay and Oddar Meancheay provinces, he claimed.

“[Cambodian telecoms firms’] services fees are now cheaper than the [Thai telecom firms] as we have nationwide cable coverage. Particularly landline phones, which are available at a cheaper tariff than them,” he said.

The firms had charged domestic Thai rates for the calls in Cambodia to numbers in the same area, he added.

Sarak Khan said the ministry had sent out inspectors in cooperating with provincial officials to deal with the issue.

“We have not set out a deadline for [the telcos] to pull out yet,” he said. “We will wait to see the result from our officials after they conduct investigations before we take any measures.”

Last month, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications So Khun said Cambodia’s ICT sector has developed strongly in the past few years.