Vietnam-based Viettel Group is reportedly making plans to expand its operations in Cambodia via local subsidiary Metfone to invest in more technologies and create jobs.
According to a report on Wednesday in the Khmer Times, Viettel Group CEO Tao Duc Thang led a delegation to meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Hanoi on Monday as the PM made his first official visit to Vietnam after succeeding his father Hun Sen in August.
During the meeting, Thang talked about the current investment environment and highlighted Metfone’s progress in telecoms and digital technology development in Cambodia, the report said. He also said that Viettel is looking for potential opportunities to expand its existing projects and bring more investors into Cambodia.
Hun Manet responded by thanking Viettel for its investment and “encouraged them to expand investment in the telecommunication sector as well as other sectors for the promotion of economic growth and create more job opportunities for the local people”, the report said.
Metfone claims to be the largest telco in Cambodia with 10 million subscribers and a 50% market share. The telco also says it has created nearly 3,000 full-time jobs, 10,000 part-time jobs and 30,000 sales points in the country.
Viettel launched Metfone in 2009. Apart from its home base in Vietnam, Viettel also operates mobile services in Myanmar, Laos, East Timor, Peru, Haiti, Mozambique, Tanzania, Cameroon and Burundi.
According to Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam is Cambodia’s third-largest trading partner, with two way trade between the two countries expected to hit $9 billion by the end of this year.