THE CELLCARD TIMELINE

Cellcard, previously known as Mobitel, was launched in 1997 in a joint venture with Millicom International Cellular.

One year on from its inception, Mobitel became the first company to roll out a nationwide network, SMS services and roaming services in Cambodia.

Seven years later the firm launched its own 3G network, quickly followed by a credit sharing platform the following year.

This was accompanied by the brand transition from Mobitel to Cellcard in 2005 and a $200 million investment into its Next Generation Network in 2007.

By 2009, a total buyout of Millicom saw Cellcard become Cambodia’s only 100 percent locally owned telecommunications operator.

Following this the firm introduced the first mobile payment platform at the turn of the decade and the first loyalty programme in 2013, retaining its commitment to constant innovation.

2015 accelerated Cellcard into the modern era with its launch of a 4G LTE network – an initiative that was ramped up in 2017 as the number of sites was increased from 300 to 3,000 nationwide.

As a result, mobile data traffic over the network has increased by almost 500 percent, growth that is forecast to continue with Cellcard’s launch of 5G and further bolstering of 4G moving into 2019.