Smartphone Users Double in the Kingdom

39.5% of the Cambodian population now own a smartphone, according to a recent report entitled "Mobile Phones and Internet in Cambodia," written by staffers from the Open Institute in Phnom Penh. This is double the number of users reported in 2013. According to the Open Institute, the rise in smartphone ownership is playing a large role in the nation's internet connectivity, and is likely to take the percentage of internet users in Cambodia from a 1/3 up to 1/2 of the population. Almost 95% of Cambodians own a phone, but the nation's youth are increasingly buying a smartphone or two, with a higher rate of ownership than the older generation. Meanwhile, Facebook has become the second-most read news source in Cambodia, surpassing radio and moving closer and closer to television, according to the report.