Cambodia, where half of 14 million are full-potential-workers, needs cheap internet seriously. Internet penetration rate is still relatively low and most people still find it too expensive to access quality internet.
Surprisingly, internet penetrating rate have risen significantly during the past 5 years. Outside work, people are using internet from their cell phones. This trend gets it place because of the wide availability of cell phones carriers (8) this kingdom already has. In this case, no connection cost is required, and almost everyone has mobile phone. Plus, the pay-as-you-go plan fits internet users right away since they can control their tight spending on the internet (mobile internet is terribly expensive). Yet, this is for population in urban area, where it accounts for a merely 20% of the whole population; and students in school are furiously demanding cheap internet both for school works and entertainments.
It’s another story to tell. Almost everyone in Cambodia is ready to migrate into low-price internet. The other 80% are not just unable to find access to good internet, in fact, they do not even have internet. And everyone knows internet is like the root of the high-rise tree which it can lead Cambodia into another stage of globalisation. 80% of the whole population is nothing small. Consider investing in cheap internet here really pays the price well.
So, you may have thought that urban people in Cambodia have a great internet access. Nope. Internet quality in Cambodia is still much lower than its neighbors. A stable internet connection with 1Mbps speed would cost around US$100, and a country where GDP per capita is US$912 (Thailand: $5 281) so it means internet costs an arm and a leg! Thus, it a great opportunity to invest in a stable and cheap telecommunication infrastructure here. It may pay well!
Another obstacle Cambodians painfully struggles with for an internet for good education is the language barrier. A lot of people spend life and limb studying foreign language. But finding a good place to learn is not an easy task. Contents in internet are mostly in foreign language even though Khmer language-based sites have been introduced more and more lately. Investing in Khmer language contents is vital as well. The language barrier will be broken and everyone staying behind the closed door will be freed and they are surely seeking internet for their own purpose since it is not again a problem in reading anymore. That interprets into more and more people access the worldwide web, and cash is produced.
Creating a cheap internet and native contents are good for both investors and consumers. So why can’t it happen right now?
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