Cellcard 2021

THE LEADING TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLAYER IN CAMBODIA

CELLCARD

2 | APAC Outlook issue 48

TECHNOLOGY

Digitising Cambodia Ian Watson, CEO of Cellcard, discusses how his organisation is setting the standard for a digital revolution in Cambodia Writer: Sean Galea-Pace Project Manager: Donovan Smith

A

ll eyes are on 5G. And with 5G there will come opportunities like never before for Cellcard and all of its customers across Cambodia.

Cellcard’s CEO Ian Watson a self-described 5G evangelist and innovation leader sits at the forefront of this technological evolution. Having worked in the telecommunications industry for over 25 years, Watson has witnessed first-hand how the industry has transformed during the past few years as the Fourth Industrial Revolution takes hold.

But that doesn’t perturb Watson - far from it. It’s clear that Watson thrives in the face of pressure and he is tasked with driving Cambodia’s digital transformation journey and overseeing the launch of the country’s first 5G network. He’s aiming high.

APAC Outlook issue 48 | 3

CELLCARD “We’re excited about 5G. We’re not just here to digitise a company - we’re here to digitise a country,” he explains.

“That’s our mantra, and we believe that 5G is the way to really digitise this country and drive Industry 4.0 after COVID. We believe we will have one of the best 5G infrastructures across Southeast Asia.”

Cellcard is fully-Cambodian-owned and is committed to connecting Cambodians wherever they may be. Watson is adamant that his organisation is at the forefront of the latest technological innovation and is well-placed to be a trailblazer within Cambodia.

“We’ve invested a substantial amount,” he informs us.

“All our 5G roll-out plans are ready, we’ve identified all the sites and place orders with our partners. We’re ready to launch new products and services that are very exciting.”

MANAGING COVID-19 In a bid to help Cambodia’s most ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cellcard introduced the country’s first 5G use case - a telemedicine service at four locations across Phnom Penh. The service saw Phnom Penh’s best doctors assess patients via video conference link to mobile phones and devices across Cambodia. The service could be used

AT A GLANCE: CELLCARD HISTORY As Cambodia’s longest-serving telecommunications firm, Cellcard possesses more than 24 years of experience and boasts a customer base of over three million subscribers.

Cellcard launched in 1997 in a joint venture with Millicom International Cellular providing its customers with the first prepaid service with scratchcards.

What followed for Cellcard was a number of firsts in the market such as introducing SMS, Value-Added Services, dedicated Loyalty program, roaming services and a credit sharing platform.

But what’s more exciting are the market firsts achieved more recently such as launching a Network Guarantee reimbursing any customer who experiences a dropped call, the award-winning app-based Super Data Race, Cambodia’s first virtual gamer platform PlayGame and the first gamer focused data plan PlayGame Unlimited.

And the latest proud innovation was revealed on Valentine’s Day, Cellcard’s Pouk Mak App – Pouk Mak, meaning friend, is the first major chat app in the world in full Khmer language.

Cellcard is Cambodia’s most awarded network having achieved more than 30 industry awards for network excellence including an impressive six consecutive Ookla Speedtest awards and a number of category wins from Opensignal including Best Games Experience in February 2020.

From a digital marketing perspective, Cellcard is the only telco who has diversified its content across three suites of Social Media, the first to win a YouTube Silver Button, and still leading the TikTok with close to 1.5 million followers and rising by the day.

Digital content is proving to be a major force for the brand with production increasing three times as much as before COVID. Cellcard even launched its own PlayGame TV show and are about to release its second series.

Is it only a game?

The secret to success is to combine everything together into

Gamification taps into our fundamental motivations. We all

a seamless, gamified customer experience layer around your

want to have fun, find purpose in our lives, and move forward

products, services and programs, embedding this within the self-

measured by passing discrete milestones. So it’s no wonder

care app in order to stimulate the desired customer behavior.

that some of the most successful marketing programs have involved gamification, like Nike+ Run Club, Samsung Nation or

At Evolving Systems, we believe that the entire customer

Orange Wednesdays.

experience can be gamified.

In the mobile market, understanding gamification is important.

The spectrum of gamification mechanics that can be used to

Self-care applications sit at the heart of most Digital Customer

boost customer engagement is very broad. Some of these are:

Engagement strategies and provide highly effective channels

1. Using badges or stickers

to actively engage and manage the lifetime value of the

2. Using loyalty points

customer. Yet the global average of downloads of such apps is

3. Playing a simple game like Scratch and Win, Spin

low, an issue we often have to contend with in the APAC region.

the Wheel or Shake the Phone to reveal the Next Best Offer (using Machine Learning)

It is clear that telcos must focus on improving download

4. Allowing users to burn points by playing

and engagement if they want to move the dial on ARPU or retention KPIs from the digital channel. But how? We’d

hyper casual games 5. Gamify lending by providing micro-loans

suggest gamification provides an answer.

Each game type has its advantages and disadvantages and

Defining “Gamification”

not every customer enjoys the same type of casual game, so

Gamification, by definition, is the application of game

it’s important to consider your target audience, your market,

mechanics to what are traditionally non-game activities.

and your regulatory restrictions when selecting the type of

The intent is to prompt specific behaviors by creating an

game to brand and use.

entertaining experience which incentivizes desirable actions to be taken. In the context of customer care, it harnesses an

Let’s Play

established social behavior (game-playing/challenges) in

What can you expect from a gamified experience? For

the service of a desirable commercial outcome (retention,

certain, an impact on whichever KPI you target as the primary

increased brand affinity).

objective. Gamification can: •

Grow ARPU

At Evolving Systems, we have been enabling this for many

•

Drive Brand Affinity and Engagement

years within the award-winning programs powered by our

•

Increase Net additions

solutions and services. In doing so, we’ve observed that any transactional program is a form of ‘gamifying’ the customer’s

…and much more. Plus, it has proven to stimulate app

general usage, spend and tenure with your products and

downloads as well as digital engagement frequency. At

services measured by the Customer Lifetime Value KPI.

Evolving Systems, we have seen up to 50% app engagement rates and a 400% increase in app downloads as a before and

How to gamify a Customer Experience

after result of adding gamification layers into it.

The principle of a transactional loyalty and engagement program is to introduce one or more mechanics between the

If you’re interested in learning more please feel free to get in

customer usage and spend transactions and the earning of

touch via the link at the bottom of this article. Beyond the fun

a reward. The mechanics required are similar if not identical

and games, there are serious benefits we can help you accrue.

to those you find in “general” context games that make them so addictive. The game is like the product and core customer experience, but it’s the mechanics around it that provide the sense of achievement and incentive to engage.

CELLCARD

Ezecom Cambodia Upon its launch in 2007, Telcotech has gone on to become a leading provider of innovative communication services across Cambodia.

Telcotech is an EZECOM company and supplies wholesale voice, data and capacity to corporates, enterprises and residential clients. Its mission is to offer a superior level of uninterrupted connectivity to region and the globe and to be renowned as the wholesale market leader in Cambodia.

Telcotech is the sole Cambodian member of the AAG Submarine cable, the 20,000km network of high bandwidth Submarine cable that connects the United States to Southeast Asia. Telcotech is an initial investment Consortia Member to the MCT Cable, the first Submarine Cable to be landed in Cambodia and connects to Malaysia and Thailand. The network became operational during the first quarter of 2017. It operates 11,000km of domestic fiber optic network throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Telcotech was the first ISP to introduce international standard service, such as MPLS, to Cambodia. It has also invested in a range of high-quality infrastructure and is considered the best-in-class ISP in Cambodia.

to connect to patients in their homes, clinics or other hospitals.

The service allowed doctors to provide real-time standard clinical care, counseling and therapy, in addition to education for patients and professional consultation and supervision for the on-the-ground medical teams. It installed the service at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital, The Chak Angre Health Center, and Ministry of Health.

In addition, Cellcard gifted doctors and nurses free data packages and calls to help with the 5G telemedicine project.

“Fundamentally, we wanted to help the country,” affirms Watson. “We just wanted to do our part. We had several 5G sites which we were testing and people were impressed with how quickly we got this rolled out.”

As the disruption of COVID-19 has 8 | APAC Outlook issue 48

been felt globally, Cambodia has been one of the few countries to keep cases to a minimum. The country has recorded just 474 cases and no deaths, which is stark contrast to the impact felt by the rest of the world, something Watson is full of praise for.

“Hats off to the Cambodian government because they’ve been very diligent with their handling of the pandemic and have been one of the shining lights of not just Southeast Asia but the whole world,” says Watson.

“For Cellcard, we split working between home and site and monitored staff every day as part of our commitment to the cause to ensure they were safe and well. We took it very seriously to try and prevent any COVID entering the building.”

With the global esports market now worth over a billion dollars in

And the organisation isn’t finished there.

Telcotech is also striving to expand and is showing no signs of slowing. Alongside its headquarters and sales office in Phnom Penh, the firm has also launched satellite offices in Siem Reap, Sihanoukvile, Battambang and Koh Kong, as well as hierarchy agents that serve other key provincial markets such as Kampong Cham, Pursat, Prey Veng and Poipet.

National Network: Telcotech operates the most robust underground domestic fiber network throughout Cambodia with full redundancy. In 2008, Telcotech began by leasing network infrastructure from other operators. From 2010, the company now leases its own fiber network infrastructures to many operators in Cambodia who need more domestic capacity and DPLC services.

International Network: Its upstream IP bandwidth is sourced from Tier-1 providers and connects to POPs in Hong Kong and Malaysia with guaranteed service performance. It is the sole Cambodian member of the AAG Submarine cable that connects the US to Southeast Asia.

CELLCARD “WE ALL SHARE THE VISION ABOUT DIGITISING CAMBODIA AND IT’S IMPORTANT YOU ARE ALIGNED WITH SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG-TERM GOALS BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, YOU’RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR PARTNERS” – IAN WATSON, CEO

HUAWEI Huawei, our key Strategic partner has been working side-by-side with Cellcard on 4G projects within many key cities and provinces in 2020.

With the support from Huawei’s most advanced technologies and solution, we have completed the first real 5G trial test in Cambodia following the download speed that reached 1.6Gbps with lower latency rate at less than 10ms.

Cellcard is confident in choosing Huawei to embrace 5G era and Digitatization life to every person, home and organization in Cambodia for an agile future with intelligent connection.

www.huawei.com

Indochina Research Indochina Research Ltd. (IRL) is the ONLY research firm that specializes in integrated market research solutions in the INDOCHINA REGION (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam).

revenue, Cellcard is at the forefront of the industry’s prominence in Cambodia. With around 60 percent of the population under the age of 30, Cellcard has acted quickly and has partnered with Tencent, Moonton and NetEase in a bid to accelerate esports within the country.

And Cellcard has signed more than 30 influencers to represent.

“We have all the best teams here that we sponsor and engage with,” he explains. “We’ve really embraced esports and I expect that to continue.”

However, Watson admits that it’s 10 | APAC Outlook issue 48

impossible for Cellcard to achieve the level of success it has enjoyed on its own and stresses the importance of partnerships.

“In this digital age, it’s all about partnerships and it’s essential,” he states.

“We all share the vision about digitising Cambodia and it’s important you are aligned with short, medium and long-term goals because ultimately, you’re only as good as your partners. We have a number of strategic partnerships and we conduct regular reviews to ensure we’re all on track and meeting our KPIs.”

Since 2002, IRL has been offering a broad range of Market Research, Retail Audit, Social Research and Media Research services in Cambodia to different clients (business, non-government and donor organizations).

A full-service research firm that can conduct both Quantitative and Qualitative studies (OFFLINE and ONLINE using IRLPanel and IRLBlast) with an EXTENSIVE learnings and insights about Cambodia with CONTINUOUS innovation works to DELIGHT the clients.

www.indochina-research.com

TECHNOLOGY

Building a Fully Connected, Intelligent World

Huawei Technologies (Cambodia) Co., Ltd 18th, 19th Floor, NO.1A, Street 102, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tel: +855-23 993 100 www.huawei.com

YourTrusted TrustedResearch ResearchPartner Partner Your Your Trusted Research Partner in Cambodia in Cambodia

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APAC Outlook issue 48 | 11

CELLCARD

Printcare Secure Ltd. At its security printing plant in Sri Lanka Printcare Secure has for fifteen years manufactured hundreds of millions of phone cards for Cellcard and other telecom companies in Asia and Africa.

In these difficult times phone cards and telecom companies like Cellcard allow people to communicate with loved ones and access vital services in Cambodia and other countries.

Printcare Secure is a member of the Printcare Group. The group has been servicing the international community with print and packaging, labels, security print and digital services from its base in Colombo for more than forty years.

The last 2020 Super Data Race

EMPLOYEE-CENTRIC MENTALITY Employees are a key component in making all companies successful but when it comes to Cellcard, Watson is adamant that Cellcard wouldn’t be the company it is today without its staff.

“I know I’m only as good as the team,” he admits.

“And I am so lucky that I have one of the best management and employee teams that I have ever worked with. My most valuable asset here is the staff.

We could have the best of everything but unless we have the right team to drive the business forward, we’d be nowhere.”

In order to ensure staff feel acknowledged, Watson affirms that Cellcard values its employees and wants them to feel like ‘part of the family.’

“It really is a family at Cellcard and I always have an open door policy where anyone can come to me with their ideas,” he explains.

“We include everyone in the decision-making process because I believe if they don’t feel part of the process 12 | APAC Outlook issue 48

www.printcare.lk then they don’t feel connected. We recognise employee’s hard work and really highlight that to ensure it becomes part of their routine. We also provide digital training and education to encourage development.”

With the future in mind, Watson is excited about what the next few years at Cellcard looks like.

“I see Cellcard as one of the key drivers of digitisation in Cambodia,” he says. “We’re very excited about the future, 5G and its influence on the economy. We’ve just launched Cambodia’s first digital app and it is groundbreaking. We have to make sure we give back to the local community and in our opinion, we will be the template for emerging markets to launch 5G and digitisation.”

Tel: +85512812812 media@cellcard.com.kh www.cellcard.com.kh

Camtower Link Communication Our utmost gratitude to Cambodian local authorities and other relevant ministries in the country for their support to our company.

We strive to become a premier telecommunications facilities provider in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia.

We pray the world would heal from the pandemic soon.

www.camtowerlink.com

TECHNOLOGY

Partnerships For Perfection

Printcare Secure Limited Premier Supplier of Telecom Phone Cards, Lottery and Promotional Tickets and Security Documents

+94 11 4829 292

pslinfo@printcare.lk

www.printcare.lk

77, Nungamugoda Road, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

TOWARDS GREENER TELECOMMUNCATION TOWER

Camtowerlink Communication Co.Ltd, a network facility provider (NFP) license holder from the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC), has been established in order to solve TELCOs coverage issue and, most importantly, ensure that all telecommunication infrastructure in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia is more organised, safe, and suitable for the public.

Camtowerlink is an independent telecom company in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia kick-starting an era of broader infrastructure within the nation. The organisation is also embarking on hybrid energy systems for telecom towers through

which all TELCOs can sign fixed PPA with the firm.

The company is headed by Major Badrul Hisham Md Isa (badrul@ camtowerlink.com) - please do not hesitate to contact him should you have any queries.

Camtowerlink is proud to share its utmost gratitude and acknowledgment towards the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of the Kingdom of Cambodia (MPTC), the TRC, and all other relevant government authorities in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia for their strong support towards the organisation.

www.camtowerlink.com

#33, street 200, block 12, sangkat phsar thmey 3, khan daun penh, phnom penh, cambodia.

APAC Outlook issue 48 | 13

CELLCARD 33 Preah Sihanouk Blvd (274), Phnom Penh 12207 Tel: +85512812812 media@cellcard.com.kh www.cellcard.com.kh PRODUCED BY APAC OUTLOOK MAGAZINE