The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and other telecommunications officials asserted last week that land-line services in Cambodia will not be disrupted by the year 2000 millennium bug.
“We’ve modified all necessary equipment such as switching systems, billing systems and so on,” said Long Van Han, the ministry’s undersecretary of state.
“We believe there will be no problems.” The ministry is operating fixed phone lines in Battambang, Pursat, Svay Rieng and Kompong Chhnang while Camintel covers 20 provinces all over the country.
Camintel’s Country Director Steve Yanuar said that the company is currently undergoing compliance with Y2K issues and the new satellite, transmission and switching systems will be ready by mid-December.
Some embassies and international organizations in Cambodia, however, have expressed concerns over Y2K preparation issues, saying there may be a risk of limited disruption in telecommunications and e-mail.
“We’re investing nearly $1 million to load new software and install new systems,” Yanuar said. “We hope everything will be all right.”
Year 2000 problems happen because computers record only the last two digits of a date and may misread 2000 as 1900, causing system crashes.
