17.SRP -MPR revenue

Call back and net services debated in the National Assembly - May 23, 2002
From a press release from the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP): During the debate on the government draft law on the Post from May 13 to May 17, National Assembly Members from the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) raised the issue of the Internet and the use of a new type of telephone service through the Internet, as well as the legality of the callback system in the classical telephone network.International telephone calls that pertain to the classical telephone services under the control of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC) are an essential source of revenue for the Government in an industry with no real competition and where prices are up to ten times higher than in most other countries. In order to protect its revenues and to preserve a de facto monopoly based on kickbacks and under-the-table payments, the Government has banned the callback system as well as new telephone services through the Internet, while stifling competition among a restricted number of Internet service providers.SRP Members of Parliament publicly denounced the present telephone system based on government corruption, the lack of competition, the obsolete equipment in use, the poor quality of the service, the exorbitant and unacceptable fees, which are a serious hindrance to foreign direct investment and therefore contribute to increasing unemployment and poverty. They insisted on transparency and fairness in the granting of licenses for Internet services providers, so as to open up the market, promote information technology, help develop human resources through Internet-based research, and lower telephone cost through new systems such as the Voice On Internet Protocol (VOIP) developed by Yahoo, which has allowed a dramatic reduction in telecommunications fees in neighbouring countries.Following a heated debate, MPTC Minister So Khun announced that his ministry would henceforth allow all telephone users to use the callback system, and Internet shops to offer Internet telephone services, especially international calls, without any restrictions. He also announced that a full license for offering Internet services, which had been so far issued “free of charge” to three Internet services providers (Camnet/MPTC, Bigpond/Telstra, Telesurf/Mobitel), would be issued free of charge to all legitimate applicants, including the non-government and non-profit organization Open Forum, which had been established as the Internet pioneer in Cambodia since 1994. - SRP Members of Parliament