Myanmar has reportedly invited Orange, Vodafone, SingTel and other leading communications companies to create a partnership with state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT).
The partnership with MPT would be privately run, the Financial Times…
Myanmar has reportedly invited Orange, Vodafone, SingTel and other leading communications companies to create a partnership with state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT).
The partnership with MPT would be privately run, the Financial Times reported citing people familiar with the matter.
However, details remain sketchy. It is not clear how many partners the government is looking for, whether it is interested in a financial or technical partner, or what MPT’s financial position is, one source was cited as saying.
Vodafone declined to comment on the matter, while Orange, SingTel and MPT were not immediately available for comment.
French telco Orange was the runner-up in Myanmar’s hotly-contested auction for nationwide spectrum licences, in which Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norway’s Telenor emerged the winners.
UK-based Vodafone, which recently agreed to sell its 45% stake in US mobile operator Verizon Wireless for US$130bn, and SingTel also took part in the auction. However, Vodafone and its auction partner China Mobile withdrew from the process after being shortlisted, saying government-set conditions did not meet their investment criteria. In a statement at the time, the UK and Chinese operators said they would continue to look at opportunities in Myanmar.
Earlier this month, MPT managing director U Aung Maw told local reporters that the telco had spoken to companies in several countries including France, Singapore and Japan about the possibility of a joint venture, merger, acquisition or strategic alliance.
The Southeast Asian nation opened up to foreign investors earlier this year and, with a population of about 60 million and mobile operation below 20%, has proved attractive to telcos.
On 12 October, the Myanmar parliament passed its new telecoms law which provides a framework for the newly-liberalised sector.
MPT and state-owned Yatanarpon Teleport (YTP) were the only telcos to have mobile licences until the June auction.
