IT in Cambodia

Nerd alert...for anyone who isn't remotely interested in computers, read no further.

So, i've been doing some work over the last few weeks which has given me my first experience with IT in Cambodian organisations. Of course, much here is the same as anywhere else in the world, but there are a few trends which have genuinely surprised me.

Firstly, software licensing is a flexible concept. In all forms of media in South-East Asia, piracy is rife, and software is no different. I was a little surprised to discover that even commercial companies, government, IT companies and the like all run pirated operating systems and software but in truth it would be incredibly difficult to do the right thing here if you wanted to. Microsoft don't have a local reseller in Cambodia and to be honest there's no market for them to do so unless the legal environment changed. Short of buying a new PC with an OEM license, everything else can be considered cracked (even when installed by a legitimate IT service provider), and this does cause problems with updates eg: black-listing from anti-virus vendors etc. Although it would seem as though the lower levels of investment available would lend themselves to the use of open source software, the opposite seems to be true. The most widely available and most easily supported systems are all Microsoft.

Secondly, many companies here, including IT service providers, don't seem to understand the importance of applying current service packs and critical security updates (or of keeping anti-virus software current). Windows PC's and servers are often multiple service packs behind current, have automatic updates turned off, windows firewall turned off and no or poorly configured anti-virus software. If you've ever wondered where in the world all those zombie PC's are, I suspect South-East Asia hosts a very high proportion.

Thirdly, computer hardware is incredibly expensive here. A basic spec Dell laptop which sells online in the US for $500 USD, would cost $1000 USD from some vendors in Phnom Penh. They can't be purchased online, but even considering the middle men this is a big markup. I honestly don't know whether this is down to import duty, reseller or both.

Finally, and this one really was a surprise to me, Cambodia is in the throws of a 3G revolution. The fixed line infrastructure here (like most infrastructure in Cambodia) is lacking and requires significant investment, so ADSL services are very expensive and offer low speeds comparative to services offered even in Australia for example. However, the mobile market is booming and attracting significant investment. With a very young population providing ideal market conditions, Cambodia is effectively leap-frogging fast fixed line internet access and moving straight to mobile data over 3G. The mobile market in Phnom Penh particularly is very crowded, with multiple ISP's (or should that be telco's ?) now offering fast HSDPA 3G data packages, both for computer (via USB modem) but even more so for 3G mobile devices. Even mobile Edge services offer better value and performance than fixed line DSL currently. In such a booming market, with limited regulation i've no idea how the telco's are planning to control bandwidth usage and provide QOS. QB in particular has not placed any restrictions on it's HSDPA 3G data service (ie: Skype, VOIP are all functional), and they offer an unlimited data HSDPA package for $88 USD per month. I think this model is down to the high level of competition, and a "build it and they will come" mentality, although it remains to be seen if it will pay off. Anyway, with all this competition, the Cambodian consumer will only benefit as far as I can see.