PHNOM PENH, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 8 million out of the Cambodia's 15 million people have now access to the Internet, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Tram Iv Tek said on Friday.
"Most of them get online via smart phones and tablet computers," he told reporters. "We expect that 100 percent of the urban dwellers and 80 percent of the rural dwellers will use the Internet by 2020."
The country has 30 internet service providers, he added.
Meanwhile, the minister said that the country has six mobile phone operators. To date, those operators have sold out 19.6 million SIM cards, exceeding the country's population of 15 million because many subscribers own more than one line.
With the rapid growth of Internet users, social media like Facebook has become a very popular way for politicians to communicate with people in Cambodia.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has used his Facebook page to show about the country's peace, stability and development, as well as to hear and solve people's concerns, while opposition politicians have used Facebook to criticize the government and social injustice.