Phnom Penh, Cambodia: According to Metfone's website, Beeline is being bought out by Viettel Cambodia and all subscribers are being switched over.



From their website:

On 11th March 2015, Sotelco Ltd. (“Beeline Cambodia”) entered into an agreement to transfer certain licenses and assets to Viettel (Cambodia) Pte. Ltd. (“Metfone”). This transfer has been approved by the relevant authorities.

Beeline Cambodia and Metfone will cooperate to support Beeline Cambodia subscribers in registering onto Metfone’s network. Beeline Cambodia will be terminating contracts with its subscribers as well as ceasing to provide mobile services.

From 24th March 2015, Beeline Cambodia subscribers shall be switched to Metfone’s network and be subject to available policies of Metfone such as Youth, Corporate, etc. Beeline Cambodia Subscribers shall retain their existing phone number; existing SIM card and core account balance as well as being eligible to receive the many extra incentives provided by Metfone. As such, from the 24th March, Beeline subscribers should stop topping-up via Beeline scratch cards but can recharge their credit via Metfone scratch cards at Metfone’s stores nationwide. All arising issues in relation to Beeline scratch card, subscribers should contact Beeline hotline for being consulted and supported. Furthermore Beeline Cambodia Subscribers are able to change to Metfone SIM card from 24th March 2015 if they wish to do so.

Metfone will provide customer support and handle any questions or problems, once subscribers have registered onto the Metfone network via our Customer Hotline Number: 1777 or through our agents at any stores nationwide.

Ok, let's see the Beeline girls one more time:

Sailorman wrote:Another Vietnamese Military Telecom acquisition?

Shhhhh...They haven't noticed..

And a interesting interview this week with Thomas Hundt, CEO of Smart Axiata:



Cambodia was the first country in the world where mobile connectivity surpassed fixed-line connectivity. In this second segment of a two-part interview, Thomas Hundt, CEO of Smart Axiata explained the role that mobile phone networks play in connecting the Kingdom and the importance of investing in infrastructure to make the Internet faster and more affordable.

How important is the shift from 2G to 3G and 4G networks?

Hundt: Fast internet needs to be everywhere. Now with 2G networks, which are in Smart’s case reaching 97 percent of the population, you can access the Internet no problem. But the upgrade from 2G to 3G, is a tremendous [speed increase.]

Probably half of the population now has access to 3G, which lets people watch videos and participate in e-commerce, Facebook, etc. - all of which is impossible with 2G. However, networks need to be further built out as 3G coverage is a bit smaller than that of 2G networks.

With 4G the Internet becomes even better, and superfast, offering video-on-demand, online gaming and music streaming. This creates many opportunities.

What challenges is this putting on Cambodia’s infrastructure?

Hundt: How to expand networks is certainly a challenge. It requires a dense network of base stations, or cells. We need to find creative solutions for how to install these smaller base stations, which at the end of the day look more like Wi-Fi hotspots, but are also mobile - which means 3G or 4G.

We’re talking about backhauling, which means the transmission, fiber optics networks and microwave networks to connect all the base stations is certainly on the technical side, which is something that needs to be mastered.

But from a regulatory perspective, what is required is spectrum - the frequency portfolio that would enable us to roll out further 3G and 4G coverage. In physical terms, it means the lower the band the higher the coverage, and the higher the band the higher the capacity. Operators should have a good portfolio of spectrum, as more spectrum equals more capacity.

We are actively working with the government to maximize spectrum availability to those operators who are operating seriously and using it in the right way.

Competition has pushed down the cost of phone and Internet in Cambodia, but is it also discouraging telcos from investing in infrastructure?

Hundt: I believe we are largely affordable; Internet and telephone costs here are relatively low. But for some, the entry level is still relatively high. Devices start at around $50, which for many is still too much. Spending $3 to $4 a month for data might be too much for some as well. So it’s important for us to deliver our services as cheap as possible.

On the other hand, we need to stay profitable, because the cost of investment into networks is tremendous. Last year, Smart invested $60 million, and this year we’ll probably invest another $55 million. This amount needs to be earned first. If we’re not able to profit then how can we invest?

Vietnam’s Metfone acquired Beeline this month. Do you expect more consolidation of the telco sector?

Hundt: As a result of pressure in investing into the networks, we need to have a critical mass. We have only a 15.4 million population, that is the market size, and we are not expecting the available income for telecom services to grow exponentially.

The typical monthly spend is $3 to $4, sometimes $5. You can then literally calculate the total market size and revenues.

Accordingly, we believe there is room for three - or maximum four - players, along with us. There are a couple of small ones, some old ones and some newcomers. But at the end of the day, it’s very simple: the ones not making critical mass, which are sizeable market share, will not sustain.

You can argue that there are some telcos that are funded by their shareholders, but at some point every shareholder expects something in return. So surely one day this will lead to consolidation.

With the cost of data packages so low, do telcos need to find new streams of revenue in order to be profitable?

Hundt: We can’t close our eyes here in Cambodia from what is going on in the industry. That means so-called OTT, or over-the-top, providers have offers on the table like Skype and VOIP - which are potentially eating into our revenue. Whatsapp, WeChat and LINE have literally wiped out SMS income.

So there is a lot of change. However, what do all those applications need? The Internet.

So we need to develop our Internet stream, our data income. But it’s important for us to look at additional streams - which could be content, e-commerce or mobile money. At Smart we are studying this, because the pressure on price and cost is there and the market is not unlimited as far as voice calls are concerned. Voice calls make up most of our income, but there will come a time when voice calls decline and we fail to make as much we did in the past from this sector. So we need to develop [our products and services,] especially the Internet stream.

What is the relationship between the Internet infrastructure of telcos and traditional ISPs?

Hundt: If you reduce it fully to the bottom line, we’re both providing the same service - Internet. The difference is simply the method of delivery. Telcos utilizes GSM and UMTS, while ISPs use fiber optics to the home and copper cables.

Technically, it’s two different groups, but in the future it may well converge. In Germany for example, mobile operators acquire fixed-line companies and vice versa because they wanted to offer a complete package - home and mobile, one account, one bill.

We’re not there yet in Cambodia - we still have that classical separation. Here, the infrastructure mix is the opposite of most other markets. We have a small fixed-line infrastructure. Fifteen years ago, Cambodia was the first country where mobile connectivity surpassed fixed-line connectivity. This hasn’t changed much, and likely won’t.

The ISPs are serving companies and apartments, those that can afford $50-100 monthly bills. But ISPs can’t.......

http://en.cambodiasky.com/news/industrya/2356.html