Posts and Telecommunications Minister Prak Sokhonn estimated Monday that the number of Internet users in Cambodia would reach 9.5 million by 2020.
Mr. Sokhonn said the estimate was made by extrapolating from annual figures showing growing rates of Internet use in the country, as well as by taking into consideration the increasing number of ways people can now access the Web.
“[This estimation] was made by looking at the annual growth [of Internet users], the rising demand for Internet use, advancements in technology, the decrease in cost of using the Internet, and because the Internet can [now] be accessed both with a cable connection and wirelessly,” Mr. Sokhonn said.
He added that the number of Internet users in Cambodia numbered nearly 5 million people in 2014, while noting that mobile phone penetration in the country had risen to more than 130 percent.
The minister also said that the number of SIM cards sold by mobile operators in 2014 totaled 20.45 million, but explained that many of those were likely not in use.
“This doesn’t mean that these SIM cards are still in use, because some people have thrown away their SIM cards,” Mr. Sokhonn said.
“The young people just use their SIM cards until promotional credit runs out.”
