Myanmar’s government is launching a tender process for two new telecoms licences to be issued in the first half of 2013.
The announcement was made today by the Telecommunication Operator Tender Evaluation and Selection Committee, a new government body…
Myanmar’s government is launching a tender process for two new telecoms licences to be issued in the first half of 2013.
The announcement was made today by the Telecommunication Operator Tender Evaluation and Selection Committee, a new government body established to oversee the process.
Companies are invited to submit expressions of interest for the “technology neutral” licences by 25 January.
“The main goals [of the new licences] are to increase the overall tele-density of the country to 75% to 80% in 2015-2016, to make the telecommunications services available to the public at affordable prices, and to give the public the capability of choice for telecommunications services,” said the statement.
The government did not give any indication of licence fees, but said that the initial licence period would range between 10 and 20 years, with the possibility of renewal.
It was not explicitly said that international entities could apply for licences, but the statement did say that the new framework was “facilitating competition of both local and international operators in the sector.”
New and existing operators will have to share infrastructure and the new licences will be awarded via a comparative evaluation process.
As TelecomFinance’s November feature on Myanmar reported, the market is attracting substantial interest from the international telecoms industry since the country was freed from military rule in 2011.
“With its very low mobile, fixed line and internet penetration rate combined with a sizeable addressable market, based on a population of about 60 million, it represents an attractive and strategic market,” said Dato’ Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, president & group CEO of Axiata, at the time.
