Cambodia steps up implementation of telecom infrastructure rules for buildings

The May workshop focused on implementation, not a new regulation

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications says the dissemination workshop took place in Phnom Penh on 4 May 2026. The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction published its account of the event two days later.

The scope is broad. It covers urban areas, housing developments, co-owned buildings, commercial buildings, shopping malls, industrial zones, special economic zones and similar developments. The purpose was to make stakeholders more familiar with technical requirements already set for telecommunications infrastructure and to improve how those requirements are applied in construction projects.

Officials also linked the standards to the construction-permit process. That matters because telecom readiness is being treated as part of a building's planned infrastructure, not simply as an installation to be improvised after construction has finished.

For practical context, see Cambodia law and taxes. This development also connects with Cambodia home prices rose 1.19% in May, but regions split.

Instruction No. 001 sets out space and network planning requirements

The underlying measure is Instruction No. 001, issued by the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction on 16 June 2025. A legal update by Rajah & Tann Sok & Heng Law Office summarising the instruction says construction owners and developers are expected to reserve suitable locations or rooms for telecom equipment, antenna installations and cable-network infrastructure.

The summary identifies designated areas of 2.25 sq m and 12 sq m for antenna-station infrastructure, depending on the installation and development type. It also states that commercial buildings, co-owned buildings, shopping malls and other buildings should reserve a room of at least 12 sq m for telecommunications equipment and an in-building system.

Cable planning is another part of the requirement. The network should support mobile and last-mile connections, including fibre termination infrastructure for FTTH, and should be designed so that users can switch internet providers without having to install an entirely new network. Project owners are also expected to coordinate with telecom operators when installing antenna, in-building or cable infrastructure.

Buyers still need to check the building, not just the rulebook

A government workshop does not establish that every new Cambodian development already meets the same engineering standard. For someone buying a condominium or commercial unit, the question is whether the specific project has actually incorporated equipment rooms, cable routes and workable connections for multiple operators into its design.

For developers, the issue comes much earlier. Space and pathways that were omitted from the original design can be difficult to add after the main structure is complete. The 2026 dissemination effort therefore matters less as a new legal milestone than as evidence that the two ministries are trying to move the 2025 requirements into routine construction practice.