TMCnet News
Ooredoo's Myanmar coverage to reach 68 cities by August 15 [Gulf Times (Qatar)](Gulf Times (Qatar) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Ooredoo's coverage in Myanmar will rapidly extend beyond the three main cities of Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon to include some 68 cities and towns by August 15, the company said yesterday. The mobile telecom major has announced the availability of its "crystal clear" voice calls and fast Internet services in three of Myanmar's major cities, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon, as part of final preparations for the commercial launch later this month. Initially, Ooredoo will provide a bundle of life-enriching services free of charge in a kick-off promotion. This is the first time that telecommunications services have been so readily accessible for the nation's people. In another first not only for Myanmar, but globally, Ooredoo is rolling out a next generation, purely UMTS900 network with some of the most advanced 3G technology in the world, which will also future-proof the network being built. The benefits of this technology include a stronger signal, crystal clear sound and fast Internet. The company said it is quickly striving to connect as many people as possible, enabling them to experience life-enriching and affordable services first-hand. To participate, customers need to simply register and purchase a SIM card for $1.50 (1,500 kyats). SIM cards are readily available from one of Ooredoo's 6,500 dealers. Ooredoo Group CEO Dr Nasser Marafih said, "During the past year Ooredoo has set out to break down all the barriers that have limited the Myanmar people's access to the best quality voice and fastest Internet experience. Our aim is to support Myanmar's people and help them achieve their vast potential. "We believe the services we provide will be transformational and have the ability to bring change to every aspect of our customer's lives, from education, to healthcare, in traditional sectors like agriculture as well as driving modern-day ICT development and innovation. As a group we are passionate about the ability of our technology to enable human growth, particularly in nations aspiring for a better, more connected future, and no-where is this more true than in Myanmar." Ooredoo Myanmar CEO Ross Cormack said, "We are so excited to have met our commitment to bring mobile telecommunications to the people of Myanmar, edging us ever closer to being able to serve the nation's huge demand for mobile technology. As we undertake final preparations for launch and optimise the network, we would like to extend an invitation to those living in Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon to try out our next-generation technology, hence our offer of free services during this time. "By August 15, we will deliver high definition voice calls, stronger signal and fast Internet everywhere we have coverage. We are working hard to deliver our services to as many people as possible and ensure ready availability of SIMs and affordable compatible devices. We are confident that the feedback from our new customers will assist us greatly in enhancing our network in time for our commercial launch." Upon commercial launch, Ooredoo will release further details regarding the variety of life-enriching services that will be available to its customers. These will include initiatives that serve the nation's high demand for education, application's that help improve maternal healthcare, solutions that help the country's unbanked and technology that improves the productivity of the nation's large agriculture sector. Telecom major all set to revolutionise Myanmar communication culture By Arno Maierbrugger/Gulf Times Correspondent /Bangkok Myanmar, the last global frontier in terms of mobile phone services, on August 2 saw the launch of the first state-of-the-art network in the country built by Qatar's Ooredoo (Gulf Times reported), and the response has been overwhelming. Demand for mobile communication at affordable rates in the country is so high that the first SIM cards sold at 1,500 kyats ($1.60) in the previous days in Yangon, Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw where sold out so quickly that a black market developed immediately where the SIM cards were sold for three times the price. That is a sign how hungry Myanmar's population is for a modern communication infrastructure at prices affordable to the masses. Until recently, there was just a basic mobile phone network service in a few main cities and the number of SIM cards provided by state-owned operator Myanmar Post and Telecommunications were limited. The military junta tightly controlled all communications in the country and set prohibitive prices for SIM cards which used to cost up to $2,000 apiece just a few years ago, out of reach for 99.9% of the population. While in the meantime the price came down to around $200 per SIM card (plus costs for the device and phone connection), it was still way above the international average and impossible to afford for the majority of Myanmar people. Ooredoo's launch offer – with its competitor Telenor due to launch low-cost SIM cards in September –is a real game changer in the Myanmar mobile phone market. In 2012, less than 4% of the country's population was connected by mobile phone services in Myanmar. Presently, just one out of ten Myanmar residents is using a mobile phone, which still results in one of the lowest mobile phone penetrations in the world. But with the new offers on the market, Myanmar is set to become one of the world's fastest growing mobile phone market ever experienced in the recent past. According to a study by market researcher Ovum, Myanmar's mobile subscriptions are expected grow at an annual rate of 29.3% to 32.3mn at the end of 2019. Mobile revenue is forecast grow at a similarly rapid rate. Ovum forecasts that the market will reach revenue of $1.2bn in 2019, up from $691mn at the end of 2013. However, the real challenge for Myanmar's mobile phone operators is still to be overcome. While providing coverage in the big cities such as Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw with a combined population of not more than 6.7mn is technically not a big issue, supplying the rest of the country is. Ooredoo has officially committed to achieving a nationwide geographic coverage of 84% for both voice and data after five years in a country where 75% of the 60mn population lives in rural areas. It will be a hard task to market mobile phones and SIM cards in rural regions with an impoverished population of which, according to traveller reports, the majority hasn't seen or used a mobile phone or any other modern electronic device at all yet, let alone has ever heard of mobile-based services such as online money remittances, health and agriculture information services and e-government initiatives. There will be a lot of educational work necessary, but the result will not only be a technical revolution, but also a deep and important change in the societal system of Myanmar. (c) 2014 Gulf Times Newspaper Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |