GDCE feature for SIM device imports

THE General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) is set to roll out a management feature on its customs electronic system for mobile phone and other SIM card devices on September 1, in an apparent bid to optimise tax revenue collection on imports of these products as usage in the Kingdom continues to grow rapidly.

The GDCE said in a notice on August 27 that the feature’s main function would be to record and manage the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of these imported devices, in compliance with tax and duty obligations.

Noting that work on the feature had finished, the department said detailed usage procedures are outlined in a “utility manual” available on its website.

Telecoms minister Chea Vandeth on March 16 said the number of internet users has increased to 15.5 million, including mobile internet users.

“Nearly one million locations” are connected to the internet via the Kingdom’s underground, underwater and aerial fibre networks, he said.

There are currently seven mobile and fixed service providers operating in the Kingdom, according to the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC).

The number of active mobile phone subscriptions in the Kingdom was 20,816,616 as of the end of April, up 1.64 per cent from 20,481,051 at the end of May 2020, the latest data from the TRC show.

At the same time, the number of landline and fixed-line subscriptions numbered just 42,577 as of end-April, down 18.87 per cent from 52,480 at end-May 2020.

The TRC previously reported that the number of mobile internet subscriptions recorded a 2.36 per cent year-on-year drop to 14,863,435 in May 2020, whereas fixed broadband internet subscriptions logged a 33.07 per cent climb to 249,132.