FPT Corporation, another giant in Vietnam’s communications sector, is seeking approval from Cambodian authorities to build a telecom network with a capital of between US$6 million and US$10 million in the country, a senior official said.

If approved, FPT Telecom will start to provide mobile phone services in three biggest cities in Cambodia first, comprising Phnom Penh, Siemriep and Sihanoukville, said Truong Dinh Anh, FPT’s deputy general director.

This is part of the corporation’s plan to expand its business overseas after its domestic rival, the military-run Viettel Telecom, launched Metfone mobile network in Cambodia in early 2009.

Cambodia and Laos are now the two Asian potential markets that Vietnamese businesses are seeking to enter. Viettel, FPT and Vietnam Multimedia Corporation (VTC) all started services here.

Earlier, FPT’s CEO Nguyen Thanh Nam said his company plans to partner with Mekong Net, one of the two biggest Cambodian IT firms, to exploit the country’s internet market as only 0.12% of Cambodian people are now Internet subscribers.

In May, FPT Information System JSC also opened two representative offices in Laos and Cambodia, which will help it expand the provision of system integration services via two international cable systems through Vietnam’s Moc Bai-Tay Ninh and An Giang border gates.

As a result, FPT has established representative offices in nine foreign countries so far.