Most sophisticated technologies
Under the theme “Intelligent Connect,” Metfone brought unique technological performance to the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the company’s operation in Phnom Penh recently.
At the ceremony, Major General Le Dang Dung – acting Chairman of the Military Industry-Telecoms Group (Viettel), said, “Metfone has marked the starting point from which Viettel has extended its operation overseas. After 10 years of development, we’ve well comprehended the role of Metfone in the digital socio-economic development in Cambodia. We commit to further innovating Metfone by applying most advanced technologies to fulfilling its new mission.”
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Delegates watching Metfone's services at the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the company’s operation in Phnom Penh |
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Samdech Pichey Sena Tea Banh congratulated Metfone on its achievements in the past 10 years. He stressed that Metfone is a telecoms taking the lead in contributing to the socio-economic development of Cambodia. He hoped that Metfone would always be the symbol of cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia.
At the ceremony, acknowledging the contribution of Metfone to the Cambodian telecoms sector in particular and to the Kingdom of Cambodia in general, the Cambodian Government presented Viettel Cambodia with a first-class Labor Order. Viettel Cambodia was also conferred with a third-class Labor Order of the State President of Vietnam - the first overseas company of Viettel Group to receive this noble title.
At its debut on February 19, 2009, Metfone was already the telecoms service provider with the biggest infrastructure, providing services in all 25 provinces of Cambodia. After only two years since then, the service provider landed on the top position in terms of market-share (accounting for 48%).
So far, Metfone has reached the accumulated revenue of USD 2.245 billion and accumulated profit of USD 300 million. Metfone has helped Viettel complete its return of share capital of USD 250 million, nearly six times more than the investment value. Earlier, there had never been any overseas companies of Vietnam successful in the telecoms area. The success story of Metfone has proved that Vietnamese companies are capable of doing business overseas to help other countries develop and at the same time heighten the position of Vietnam in the international arena.
Pioneer in digital economic development in Cambodia
Prior to Metfone, the rate of mobilephone subscribers in Cambodia was only 25% of the population. At present, the rate is 120%. The data subscription rate increased from 0% to 60%, reaching the average data usage of 11GB per subscriber per month, equal to that of developed countries, creating a huge community of mobilephone users, the premise for the abolition of the roaming charges in the three countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. So far, Metfone has contributed around USD 500 million of tax to the Government of Cambodia, directly created stable jobs for 3,000 people and about 30,000 indirect jobs for other families.
With Metfone, Viettel has contributed to building the e-governments in the Indochinese countries. Prior to the operation of 4G services in Vietnam, Viettel had provided the services in Laos and Cambodia in the hope to push Industry 4.0 with the telecommunications infrastructure.
In 2017, Viettel dropped roaming charges for subscribers in the three Indochinese countries. Viettel also offers the videoconference connection among the three prime ministers’ offices, contributing to narrowing the gaps of development among Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
In 2018, Metfone was the first telecoms company in Cambodia to offer 4,5G LTE services. The provider also installed 100 4G BTS stations in the area of Tonle Sap Lake, which is the poorest and most backward area of Cambodia that no service providers had wanted to do business there before. Metfone was also the first one to offer eSIM and eMoney services, waging an online payment revolution in Cambodia. No wonder it is the only reliable partner with which the Government of Cambodia signed the contract on the construction of the e-government of Cambodia.
Translated by Huu Duong