Cambodian mobile operator Smart has announced the commercial launch of its 4G LTE network, offering mobile broadband at maximum downstream speeds of 55Mbps. The company’s 4G services are currently available at six locations in Phnom Penh: Naga World Hotel and Casino, Sovanna Shopping Centre, Ratana Plaza Shopping Mall, De Castle Toul Kork, Phnom Penh International Airport and Smart Store Beung Trabek. By March 2014, additional areas will gain LTE coverage, including Sorya Shopping Centre, Phnom Penh Tower, Vathanak Tower and Siem Reap International Airport, while in the second quarter of 2014 services will be expanded across Phnom Penh city.
‘Smart Axiata is proud being at the forefront of the technological development by being the first to bring 4G LTE to the market in Cambodia,’ commented the company’s CEO Thomas Hundt, adding: ‘We are starting the 4G LTE journey with the 4G LTE Experience Zones, covering areas where especially urban youth and young professionals, typically power users and early adopters, gather to spend their time apart from their home, work or study places. The coverage will then be enlarged in the next weeks and months to cover whole Phnom Penh and beyond.’ Smart is offering a new LTE data plan that includes 1GB of data for USD5 per month, while the existing Combo 48, 58 and 68 plans have been 4G-enabled at no extra cost, although customers need to swap their current SIM card with an LTE-ready SIM card at any Smart Shop in Phnom Penh.