 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Myanmar has begun the liberalization of its telecommunications market in 2013. [1]
| This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Myanmar has begun the liberalization of its telecommunications market in 2013. [1]
Previously, Myanma Post and Telecommunication (MPT) had a monopoly in the country. In 2013, the government started taking steps to open up the telecommunications market, issuing licenses to new service providers. Consulting firm Roland Berger supported the government in the liberalization and tendering process. [2] In 2014, Qatar-based Ooredoo and Norwegian Telenor through their local subsidiaries – respectively Ooredoo Myanmar and Telenor Myanmar – entered the market, resulting in the reduction of consumer prices and rapid growth in the number of subscribers, as well as the expansion of the country's infrastructure. [3] In November 2015, Ericsson named Myanmar the world's fourth fastest-growing mobile market. [4] As of June 2015, Myanmar has a mobile phone penetration rate of 54.6%, up from less than 10% in 2012. On 12 January 2017, Mytel (Telecom International Myanmar Co., Ltd.) received License for the provision of telecommunication services, officially became the 4th operator in Myanmar. [5]
Bids were offered for two fresh telecom licenses by the Myanmar government. The deadline was set to be 8 February 2013. The licenses were expected to be issued in June and carry a contract duration of up to 20 years. Two more licenses were expected to be offered following this round of bidding. [6]
According to government statistics, 5.4 million of Myanmar's 60 million population had a mobile phone subscription at the end of 2012, giving the country a mobile penetration of 9 per cent. [7]
According to official figures released in mid-2012, Myanmar had 857 base transceiver stations (BTS) for 1,654,667 local GSM mobile users, 188 BTSs for 225,617 local WCDMA mobile users, 366 BTSs for 633,569 local CDMA-450 mobile users, and 193 BTSs for 341,687 CDMA-800 mobile users. Huawei who has built 40 percent of the towers and ZTE has built 60 percent in Myanmar, which amounts to 1500 across the country, said it has built the towers mostly in Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw. [8]
The Myanmar Telecommunications Operator Tender Evaluation and Selection Committee selected Norwegian Telenor Group and Ooredoo of Qatar as winners of the bidding, for the two telecom licenses issued by the government of Myanmar. [8] The licenses allow the operators to build and operate a nationwide wireless network for 15 years. Ooredoo began selling low-price SIM cards at a price of US$1.5 in Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw in August 2014. Prior to 2012, during military rule, SIM cards cost USD 1,500. [9]
Mytel is the fourth telecom firm in Myanmar. It is a joint venture between Myanmar Army-backed Star High Public Co Ltd, which holds 48 percent, Vietnam's Ministry of Defence owned Viettel Group, which holds 28 percent, and Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public Ltd, a group of 11 local companies with a combined 23-percent stake. [10] Commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing stated at the opening ceremony of Mytel on 11 February 2018 that it will cover 93 percent of the 2G networks and 60 percent of the 4G networks of Myanmar after installing towers and stations across the country. [11]
 |
Press
Television
Broadcasts 7 Free Digital Channel available in Naypyidaw, Yangon & Mandalay.
Providing Free to air Channels, Local & International Pay TV Channels, and High Definition Channels. 4TV Has Only Broadcasts 2 Way With DTH and DVB-T2 In Myanmar.
Radio
News agency
The government allowed unrestricted access to the Internet for some years following the telecoms liberalization. Many people were using the internet freely, often with widely available smart phones.
Myanmar Teleport [12] (formerly Bagan Cybertech), Information Technology Central Services (ITCS), [13] and the state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT) [14] are two of the Internet service providers in Myanmar. [15] [16] Internet cafés are common in the larger cities of the country. Satellite (VSAT) internet connection is also available from Skynet, a satellite television provider, and another (VSAT) Operator Com & Com.
According to MPT's official statistics as of July 2010, the country had over 400,000 Internet users (0.8% of the population) with the vast majority of the users located in the two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay. [17] More recent figures are hard to find, but the widespread use of smart phones and tablets with cellular modems on the 3G and 4G networks means that internet usage is likely to be far higher than the figures from 2010 indicate.
Although the internet appears largely unrestricted, Myanmar experience internet shut downs during politically sensitive times. In 2007, the military government shutdown the internet during the Saffron Revolution for a few days to restrict information from within the country to be disseminated to international media. In 2019 June to February 2020, a few townships from Rakkhine and Chin State are facing internet shut downs as ordered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
On 3 February 2021, 3G and 4G data network was restored in Rakhine and Chin States. [18]
Starting from dawn of 1 February 2021, there're re-restrictions and outage to access to the internet by the Military Government because of 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The government banned and blocked social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp, western news agency websites and also Wikipedia. [19]
Starting from 16 February 2021, the internet was shut down from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. in nationwide. [19]
On 22 February 2021, the internet was shut down only in Yangon from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. while other states and regions were only from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. [19]
Telecommunications in Cambodia include telephone, radio, television, and Internet services, which are regulated by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Transport and posts were restored throughout most of the country in the early 1980s during the People's Republic of Kampuchea regime after being disrupted under Democratic Kampuchea.
Oman Telecommunication Company (Omantel) has a monopoly in the landline telephone and internet access markets. Its arm Omanmobile offers mobile services. The Omani government owns 70% of Omantel after 30% was listed for the public in 2005. In 2005 Qatar Telecommunication Company (Qtel) and partners were awarded the second license to offer mobile services in the country under the brand of Nawras, which is now rebranded as Ooredoo. Oman now has 5 mobile networks offering internet. The networks providing 4G coverage are Oman mobile, Ooredoo, Renna, RedBull Mobile and Friendi.
Communications in Zimbabwe refers to the communication services available in Zimbabwe.
Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the administrative functions to the purpose-built capital city of Naypyidaw in north central Myanmar. With over five million people, Yangon is Myanmar's most populous city and its most important commercial centre.
The telecom sector in Bangladesh is rapidly emerging. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is the regulatory authority for this sector, overseeing licensing, policy, etc.
Ooredoo QSC is a Qatari multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Doha. Ooredoo provides mobile, wireless, wire line, and content services with market share in domestic and international telecommunication markets, and in business and residential markets.
Naypyidaw, officially romanized as Nay Pyi Taw (NPT), is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's cities in that it is an entirely planned city outside of any state or region. The city, then known only as Pyinmana District, officially replaced Yangon as the administrative capital of Myanmar on 6 November 2005; its official name was revealed to the public on Armed Forces Day, 27 March 2006.
The Internet in Myanmar has been available since 2000 when the first Internet connections were established. Beginning in September 2011, historically-pervasive levels of Internet censorship in Burma were significantly reduced. Prior to September 2011, the military government worked aggressively to limit and control Internet access through software-based censorship, infrastructure and technical constraints, and laws and regulations with large fines and lengthy prison sentences for violators. In 2015, internet usage significantly increased to 12.6% with the introduction of faster mobile 3G internet by transnational telecommunication companies Telenor Myanmar and Ooredoo Myanmar, later joined by national Myanmar Post and Telecommunications(MPT). While the Internet situation in Myanmar has undergone change since its introduction in 2010 and reduction of censorship in 2011, laws such as the 2013 Telecommunications Law continue to restrict citizens from total freedom online. Despite restrictions, internet penetration continues to grow across the country.
Telephone numbers in Myanmar are 8 to 11 digits long including the trunk prefix.
Myanmar Radio and Television, formerly the Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS), is the parent of the state-run Myanmar Radio National Service and the MRTV television channel. The television channels are broadcasting from its broadcast center in Kamayut, Yangon while the radio service is now broadcasting primarily from Naypyidaw. MRTV's television signals reaches 92.7% of the Myanmar population, while its radio coverage reaches 100% of the country.
The print, broadcast and online mass media in Burma has undergone strict censorship and regulation since the 1962 Burmese coup d'état. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the government prohibits the exercise of these rights in practice. Reporters Without Borders ranked Burma 174th out of 178 in its 2010 Press Freedom Index, ahead of just Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea. In 2015, Burma moved up to 144th place, ahead of many of its ASEAN neighbours such as Singapore, as a result of political changes in the country.
Myanmar Radio National Service (Burmese: မြန်မာ့အသံ; formerly, Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS)), is the national radio service of Myanmar. It has its broadcasting headquarters in both the administrative capital of Naypyidaw and Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. The service runs Myanmar Radio, Myanmar Radio Minorities Service, Myanmar Radio International and Myanmar Radio 2nd Programme (Tha Pyay Radio). Like all legally operating radio stations in Myanmar, such as Yangon City FM and Mandalay City FM, Myanmar Radio is under state management.
The Burmese Wikipedia is the Burmese language edition of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. This edition was started in July 2004, and has about 109,000 articles as of November 2024.
Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications is a state-owned enterprise in Myanmar under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. MPT operates the country's postal system. The Myanmar Postal Service now runs over 1,000 post offices throughout the country. Local Express Myanmar Postal Parcel Service was introduced in Yangon and Mandalay on 1 April 1992 and its services are now extended to over 120 townships. Until 2013, MPT was also Myanmar's only telecommunications operator.
RedLink Communications is a private company headquartered in Yangon, Myanmar. It provides WiMAX broadband internet and other Internet and telecommunications services. Its WiMAX coverage includes areas in Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan Established in 2008, it became the second privately owned Internet service provider in Myanmar.
CB Bank is one of Myanmar's oldest and largest commercial banks. It became the first bank in Myanmar to issue ATM cards and credit cards. The bank, led by U Khin Maung Aye (Chairman) and U Kyaw Thu Ko (CEO) has over 200 branches across the country.
Telenor Myanmar was a telecommunications brand in Myanmar (Burma) between 2014 and 2022. It was established as a subsidiary of the Norwegian Telenor Group, and was sold off to the Lebanese M1 Group in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. After a lengthy regulatory process, Myanmar authorities approved the transaction on 18 March 2022. The company rebranded to ATOM on 8 June 2022.
Ooredoo Myanmar is a telecommunications company in Myanmar.
Mytel is a major telecommunications company in Myanmar (Burma), as one of four national carriers. Mytel is operated as a joint venture between the Burmese military and Viettel, which is owned by Vietnam's Ministry of National Defence. Mytel has been criticized and scrutinized for serving as a major source of revenue for the Burmese military.
Telecommunications in Asia | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states |
|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
| History |
|
|---|---|
| Pioneers |
|
| Transmission media | |
| Network topology and switching | |
| Multiplexing | |
| Concepts | |
| Types of network | |
| Notable networks | |
| Locations | |
