The Myanmar government has given the long-awaited nod for Norwegian giant Telenor to roll out a network in the country, seven months after it was declared a winner in a highly-competitive spectrum auction process.
A spokesperson for the company said it…
The Myanmar government has given the long-awaited nod for Norwegian giant Telenor to roll out a network in the country, seven months after it was declared a winner in a highly-competitive spectrum auction process.
A spokesperson for the company said it has been “informed that the Myanmar cabinet has approved the telecommunications licence”.
He added: “We will review the final document and provide a formal reply to the Myanmar authorities within the described timeline for acceptance.”
The spokesperson declined to comment on a Reuters article, which said Telenor would participate in a signing ceremony on 3 February.
Qatar-based Ooredoo’s will also reportedly receive its licence at the ceremony on Thursday. Ooredoo was not immediately available for comment.
The licences were originally expected to be issued in September 2013, after both Telenor and Ooredoo emerged as winners in the country’s mobile frequencies auction a couple of months before.
However the process was set back, reportedly because of delays linked to parliamentary debate over the country’s new telecoms law.
With the licences being awarded, both companies are now expected to roll out their networks, a process which could be delayed by poor road capacity in rural areas and limited electricity distribution.
In October, Ooredoo chief strategy officer Jeremy Sell reportedly said that, given the green-field nature of the project, the company was considering building the networks in partnership with Telenor.
