Dubbed MyTel, the mobile network company’s Myanmar operation plans to be the nation’s first to provide complete 4G services.
At an event last week, it was announced that the partnership between Vietnamese military-run telecommunication company, Viettel Global, and two local partners – Myanmar National Holding Public Ltd and Star High Public Co Ltd – aims to have two to three million subscribers by the end of the year. The company is reportedly worth US$1.5 billion.
Mytel will invest in Myanmar’s telecommunication infrastructure, building more than 7,000 4G Base Transceiver Stations and more than 30,000 kilometers of optical cable. The fiber network will help increase the country’s network density to 1,500 kilometers per million people.
The company plans to capitalize on Myanmar’s currently low cell phone usage and subpar services. MyTel hopes that increased internet coverage will help the country’s educational development. Zaw Min Oo, chief external relations officer at MyTel explained, “By providing solid platforms to improve youth education, our younger generation will be exposed to advanced knowledge in technology and innovation to move up to the global level.”
The arrival comes at an opportune time: Myanmar's economy is expanding rapidly with 7-7.5% growth expected in the near future, in large part due to foreign funds. Viettel’s investment in the project represents 66% of Vietnam’s total registered capital in the country and makes the nation the second largest ASEAN investor in Myanmar.
Le Dang Dung, deputy general director of Viettel Group, said: “We enter Myanmar at this historic phase in the country’s reform era, when the country is forecast to witness accelerated economic growth, enhanced also through increased foreign direct investment. Advancing the country’s telecom infrastructure will help us drive a surge in mobile and smartphone subscription penetration.”
In addition to Vietnam, Viettel also operates in Cambodia, Laos, East Timor, Haiti, Peru, Mozambique, Cameroon, Burundi, and Tanzania. With its launch, MyTel becomes the fourth largest carrier in the nation behind the Myanmar Government’s MPT, Teleenor of Norway, and Ooredoo of Qatar.
[Photo via Economist]
