The Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC) has begun planning for the installation of a Wi-Fi network at the Morodok Techo National Stadium, the sport village and other sporting venues, ahead of the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games, which will be hosted by Cambodia for the first time this May.

A March 7 weekly meeting chaired by Minister of Tourism and CAMSOC permanent vice-president Thong Khon at the stadium was primarily focussed on the Wi-Fi network. Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth assigned Srun Kimsann, a member of the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia (TRC), as his representative at the meeting.

“We agreed that we must make certain that the network covers the entire stadium, as well as the areas around it,” said CAMSOC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun, following the meeting.

“We expect to host about 60,000 people at the stadium for major events, like the opening and closing ceremonies. We want to make sure that all of them will have access to high-quality internet so they can broadcast details and images of the spectacular events that are taking place. This will be fantastic publicity for the venue, the games, and the Kingdom as a whole,” he added.

Chamroeun, who is also secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), considered the installation of a separate network for the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the Media Centre absolutely essential, as neither of these facilities could afford to be disrupted.

“We will have two networks in operation. One will be for the core work of CAMSOC, which organises the broadcasting of the games and facilitates the transmission of information by international journalists and their agencies,” he said.

“The other will be for the fans. They are also broadcasters in a way, as they will promote the games through what they share online. They will be responsible for the way many of people see the Kingdom,” he added.