The two winners of Myanmar nationwide telecoms licences, Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norwegian operator Telenor, are considering sharing transmitter towers in the country in an attempt to cut costs.
Ooredoo chief strategy officer Jeremy Sell was quoted saying…
The two winners of Myanmar nationwide telecoms licences, Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norwegian operator Telenor, are considering sharing transmitter towers in the country in an attempt to cut costs.
Ooredoo chief strategy officer Jeremy Sell was quoted saying during a conference yesterday that, given the green-field nature of the project, the company is looking to build the networks in partnership with Telenor.
In late June, Telenor and Ooredoo both won licences in a hotly-contested auction, which saw 11 parties bid for frequencies. Earlier this year, Myanmar moved away from decades of isolationist policies and opened up to foreign investors.
With a population of around 60 million and mobile penetration below 10%, investment opportunities in the country’s telecoms market are promising.
But Sell reportedly said both Ooredoo and Telenor do not want “to put a huge amount of money in straight away” as the companies invested in the country need to be “a bit cautious and see how it goes”. He pointed to the difficulty of building the networks given the scarcity of telecoms infrastructure in the country at the moment.
Telenor and Ooredoo’s rollout obligations include achieving at least 75% geographic coverage for each region and state for voice services within five years.
Meanwhile, state-backed operator Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) is in discussions with foreign telcos regarding the possibility of a joint venture, merger, acquisition or strategic alliance.
MPT has spoken to companies in several countries including France, Singapore, Japan, its managing director U Aung Maw told The Myanmar Times a few weeks ago.
MPT and state-owned Yatanarpon Teleport (YTP) were the only telcos to have mobile licences until the June auction.
The country has yet to finalise its telecoms law. Telenor Myanmar CEO Petter Furberg told TelecomFinance a few months ago that having regulations in place is essential. “As a mobile operator it is important to have a legal framework that provides long-term predictability and promotes a level playing field,” he said in an interview in July.
