Angkor Park gets connected with camouflaged mobile towers

Phnom Penh : Six mobile phone towers disguised as trees were installed in Cambodia's Angkor Archaeological Park for improved coverage and internet speed, the media reported on Tuesday.

The Apsara Authority, a government body that manages the park, installed the towers at six locations in the ancient site, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sok Sangvar, Deputy Director General of the authority, said Smart was the first mobile operator to launch a 4G mobile internet service in the Angkor area on Thursday, and other mobile operators would soon follow suit.

"The installation of mobile phone towers in the Angkor area will make it easy for local and international tourists to make phone calls, post pictures on Facebook and live stream videos immediately," he said.

According to the authority, it is the first time Cambodia has installed towers that look like trees, an effort to help maintain the beauty of the natural surroundings in accordance with World Heritage Site standards.

Located in Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archaeological Park, inscribed on the Unesco's World Heritage List in 1992, is the kingdom's top tourist destination.

The site attracted almost 2.2 million foreign visitors in 2016, earning revenue of $62.5 million from ticket sales. -Agency