Trees link tourists

SIEM REAP, 28 March 2016: Apsara Authority signed an agreement with local telecom, firm Camtowerlink Communications, to install six camouflaged mobile towers across the historical park.

Phnom Penh Post quoted Apsara Authority communication director, Long Kosal, saying the towers will be designed to resemble trees.

The objective is to offer better mobile connections for visitors.



It is the first time that Apsara has allowed telecommunication towers inside the Angkor Wat park area and the authority says it has been careful to minimise the visual and environmental impact.

Tourists have little or no mobile cover in certain areas of the archaeological park, which prompted the park’s management to study the camouflaged towers option.

The installation of the towers has already begun and will be completed by June this year. Following the completion of six towers, there are plans to add 18 more antennas, the report said.

Last year, 2.1 million international tourists visited Angkor temples, a 1.96% increase from 2014.

Revenue from foreign visitor ticket sales at the Angkor Archaeological Park reached USD60 million in 2015, up 1.2% year-on-year.

China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam are the largest sources of tourists to the site.

Currently, foreign visitors pay USD20 for a one-day pass to the temples, USD40 for three days and USD60 for seven days.

The park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992, is located in Siem Reap province, 315 km northwest of capital Phnom Penh.

Stealth towers deliver mobile coverage to Angkor Wat
Wed, 4 January 2017
Cheng Sokhorng

Tourists visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap are able to use their mobile phones for the first time following the construction of six mobile network towers in a pilot project that aims to expand mobile network coverage within the park.

Rath Sok, a spokesman for Camtowerlink Communications, the local telecom services firm that installed the towers, said the six antennas were disguised as trees and placed near the park’s most popular Angkor-era temples. The camouflaged towers provide mobile connectivity in areas previously limited by dense foliage and signal range limitations.

“The six towers were placed in crowded tourist areas where there used to be connection shortages and will now provide better network access to visitors while minimising the impact on the environment,” he said yesterday.

The company is currently working with telecom operators to establish access to different mobile networks through the shared infrastructure, Sok said.

Smart Axiata has already signed a contract and installed its equipment on four of the new installations, currently allowing tourists to access the company’s network. The other operators are expected to follow, with the major networks in place before the official launch of the six towers sometime next month.

“Smart is already operating and Cellcard will be available starting next week,” Sok said. “We are currently in negotiations with Metfone and Seatel.”

The Apsara Authority signed an agreement with Camtowerlink last March to install the six towers, reversing its longstanding policy that telecom operators could not place antennae near the UNESCO World Heritage site as it might negatively impact the view and environment...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/s ... angkor-wat

More telephone trees to come.

Authority to erect cell towers
27 June 2018
The Apsara Authority is planning to erect twelve cell towers disguised as trees within Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province to accommodate tourists and residents living in the area.
[He added that] The International Coordinating Committee Angkor has sanctioned the construction of twelve new cell towers disguised as trees. The Apsara Authority will conduct research prior to construction to avoid damaging archaeological sites.

According to an Apsara Authority official, a working team is currently discussing the installation phase with a private company to reach an agreement.

Sim Sophea, a resident living in the Angkor area, said that the new towers will be welcomed by residents.

“It will make people’s lives a lot easier in the area,” Ms Sophea said. In 2016, six cell towers were built in major locations in the Angkor area by four telecommunications companies.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50505310/a ... ll-towers/

This strategy has been used in one of Canada's largest provincial parks, namely Algonquin Park in Ontario. Seems to work fine based on my experience.

paul2d wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 9:47 pm This strategy has been used in one of Canada's largest provincial parks, namely Algonquin Park in Ontario. Seems to work fine based on my experience.

What type of fruit does that tree have ? Maybe just nuts .

Nothing is sacred.

cue: idiots falling down stairs while surfing internet

Wait for the anger when loggers blunt their chainsaws trying to steal these trees.

paul2d wrote: ↑Thu Jun 28, 2018 9:47 pm This strategy has been used in one of Canada's largest provincial parks, namely Algonquin Park in Ontario. Seems to work fine based on my experience.

Nothing new, strategy is an effort to make them look less intrusive.

It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so they are being careful. The first towers were installed only last year.

Jan 2017
Tourists visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park near Siem Reap are able to use their mobile phones for the first time following the construction of six mobile network towers in a pilot project that aims to expand mobile network coverage within the park.

The Apsara Authority signed an agreement with Camtowerlink last March to install the six towers, reversing its longstanding policy that telecom operators could not place antennae near the UNESCO World Heritage site as it might negatively impact the view and environment...