Cambodia postpones national internet gateway plans

Plans by the government of Cambodia to route all domestic and international internet traffic through a National Internet Gateway (NIG) have been postponed, an official told Nikkei Asia. The new gateway was expected to begin operating this month but So Visothy, a spokesman for the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC), confirmed that the plans have been delayed ‘due to the disruption caused by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic’. A sub-decree on the establishment of the NIG states that the move is aimed at enhancing national revenue collection, saving costs and protecting national security, but its critics, which include the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), say the move would undermine citizens’ rights to internet access, and raises concerns about freedom of expression, media censorship and user privacy.