NBTC Office steps up crackdown on cross-border internet to Cambodia
NBTC blocks internet and SIM access to Cambodia to disrupt scam gangs, ensuring military and locals stay connected.
NBTC intensifies internet restrictions to support anti-scam operations
The Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has announced stricter measures to block internet and mobile phone access for call-centre scam gangs operating in Cambodian border areas.
The move follows a meeting on Monday between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Trairat Viriyasirikul, deputy secretary-general and acting secretary-general of the NBTC Office.
Trairat said on Tuesday that the NBTC is stepping up efforts to support the government’s crackdown on online scams by cutting off the gangs’ access to Thai mobile and internet services.
Three-pronged strategy to curb connectivity to Cambodia
Trairat detailed three groups of coordinated measures to be rolled out immediately:
1. SIM card measures
- The NBTC will coordinate with customs checkpoints along the Cambodian border to prohibit the export of Thai mobile SIM cards.
- It will also request detailed user data from mobile network operators on registered numbers located near the border.
2. Internet broadband cable measures
- Licensed broadband operators with connections to Cambodia must submit the names of their Cambodian counterparts and report internet usage figures to the NBTC.
- All broadband internet connections to Cambodia have been ordered suspended. Any resumption will require prior approval from the NBTC Office.
3. Cell tower signal control
- NBTC officials will inspect cell towers in six provinces bordering Cambodia—Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, Trat, Si Sa Ket, Surin, and Buri Ram—to ensure signals do not extend across the border.
- The NBTC pledged that these measures will not affect Thai residents living along the border.
Telecoms urged to cooperate; military posts guaranteed access
Trairat emphasised that the NBTC would consistently instruct telecom operators to strictly enforce these rules as part of the national campaign to dismantle scam networks based in Cambodia.
He also assured that military posts stationed along the Thai-Cambodian border would retain internet and mobile access to support their operations.
From now on, telecom operators must submit information about any business activities or service agreements with Cambodian clients. The NBTC will assess these before approving any future cross-border internet services.
All 14 internet providers to Cambodia suspend operations
According to the NBTC, 14 internet operators currently hold licences to provide cross-border services to Cambodia. All of them have now suspended their connections. The list includes:
- National Telecom Plc
- Advanced Wireless Network Co Ltd
- True Move H Universal Communication Co Ltd
- True Internet Corporation
- United Information Highway Co Ltd
- ALT Telecom Plc
- International Gateway Co Ltd
- Jastel Network Co Ltd
- Symphony Communication Plc
- TCC Technology Co Ltd
- Interlink Telecom Plc
- LWTN Co Ltd
- Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
- Kirz Co Ltd
