Chinese telecom companies call on Myanmar

People waiting outside the first flagship showroom of Chinese telecom giant Huawei in downtown Yangon, Myanmar, in early May. The showroom attracted huge attention from consumers and media. Zhang Wei / China Daily

In addition to the shortage of handsets and the expense of SIM cards, the development of Myanmar's telecom infrastructure is far from adequate, and this is another sector urgently needing international cooperation, industry insiders pointed out.

"The number of (mobile) towers in the country is still not enough," Htay Win, chief engineer of Myanmar Post and Telecommunication, the state-owned telephone service provider, told media in April. The government will build more towers with the money it gets from selling SIM cards to local mobile users.

MPT is currently working with companies such as Huawei, ZTE and ASP to build the towers across the country.

At the moment, around 90 companies worldwide are vying for a piece of the pie from this sought-after new market.

The Myanmar government announced in January that it would grant two licenses, each with initial terms of 15 years, in an effort to liberalize its underdeveloped market, according to local media.

The application list includes 22 international telecom companies, and the two successful bidders will be announced by the end of June.

Thin Thin Swe from Myanmar television station MI told China Daily that Chinese products, such as Huawei's, are very popular in Myanmar because of their high-tech quality and affordable price.

Mya Than Zaw, head of Truly Myanmar Travel Agency, said the people of Myanmar are looking forward to using a low-cost SIM card without limitations, and they expect a better service.