If you use the ‘normal’ international gateways, calling from Cambodia to abroad is very expensive. But that needn’t be, as most mobile phone providers have much cheaper international gateways.
This only applies to calls made from a mobile phone, fixed phone lines do not have access to these cheaper gateways.
Read in this Cambodia Travel Guide ‘tip & trick’ how to make cheaper phone calls from Cambodia to overseas. Of course there are other alternatives, like Skype, but we leave these out of this tip.
The international access code for Cambodia is +855. The outgoing code is 001 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 00144 for the United Kingdom). Calling through either of the universal gateways is very expensive, but when using one of the mobile phone company’s SIM-cards, there are other so-called gateways available. International calls via these gateways are cheaper because they are based on Voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology. E.g. for Mobitel, the gateway number is 177 (dial this instead of the normal outgoing code of 001). One operator (Smart) will route the call through their own less expensive gateways by just dialing the standard plus sign (+) before the foreign country code. An overview of the cheaper gateways to use, depending on the SIM-card you use:
| Operator | Gateway |
| CellCard (Mobitel) | 177 |
| Metfone | 168 |
| Smart | + |
| QBMore | 153 |
| SeaTel | 175 |
| CooTel | 158 |
Phnom Penh's area code is (0)23; the code for Siem Reap is (0)63. Domestic and international calls can be made at post offices or telecom offices in most towns. Mobile phone operators cover Phnom Penh and other major cities. The country uses GSM networks, so US phones are not compatible. Mobile phones can be rented at Pochentong International Airport on arrival. Internet phones are available in some Internet cafes and provide a cheaper alternative for international calls. Internet cafes provide a fast and inexpensive service in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and other main towns.