At least 4 apply for Myanmar Mobile license bid

At least four telecom companies have expressed an interest in bidding for Myanmar's two new nationwide telecom licenses. SingTel, Axiata, Temasek subsidiary ST Telemedia and Norway's Telenor have each submitted expressions of interest in the licenses, Bloomberg reported. The deadline for companies to register their interest was going to be last Friday, but the ICT ministry recently extended the date until 3pm local time on February 8. The government revealed on January 15 that it plans to issue two nationwide telecom licenses by June, as part of plans to improve the nation's single-digit mobile and fixed penetration levels. The auction forms part of a wider policy of opening up the nation's telecom sector up to international investment. Myanmar has been attracting strong interest from the global telecom sector since this policy was announced, as it represents one of the few remaining relatively untapped telecom markets. Separately, former telecom minister Thein Tun and several former senior officials from the ministry are reportedly the subjects of a new corruption probe. The Wall Street Journal, citing government officials,reports that the probe concentrates on issues “including corruption” and “cronyism.” But the officials did not make any specific allegations. Another government official told Reuters that around 50 senior ICT ministry officals are “facing inquiries.” Industry watchers blame the former minister for keeping the price of SIMs out of reach for the majority of Myanmar citizens – they still sell for as high as $350, barely less than the nation's average annual income. The probe appears to be another signal by the new government that it is serious about reforming the telecom sector.Dylan Bushell-Embling | January 28, 2013 If you are AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint interest to becoming a partner/ investor with local license holder. Contact here Original Article right here

World's least penetrated mobile markets

January 23, 2013 The recent news that Myanmar will soon revamp its telecom market by offering two telecom licenses to either local or foreign players in H12013 will quite possibly be the wireless story of the year for Southeast Asia. While figures are scarce and unreliable, the country certainly has a single-digit mobile user ratio but is set to soar to upwards of 80% according to government projections. With the global mobile SIM base projected to surpass 100% over in 2013, there are still a handful of countries in the world where SIM ownership is still relatively uncommon. Ranking the least penetrated markets excluding Myanmar as of the end of 2012 gives us the following order: 1. North Korea – 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 6.9% Although hard to believe, the North Korean market has actually expanded significantly since Orascom entered into a JV with the local government in 2009. Obtaining a phone is still involves a long bureaucratic process which has also reportedly created a rife grey market, but Kyorolink`s exclusivity is ending soon which could lead to even another player in the medium term. 2. Eritrea - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 7.2% Also located in the Horn of Africa, this market is the least developed in Africa as the fixed and local markets are a total monopoly and there is only limited competition in the ISP space. While the government of Eritrea has taken initial steps to privatize the company by offering shares to local investors. 3. Cuba – 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 11.3% The government allowed all Cubans to purchase mobile phones in 2008 although mobile Internet is not available and postpaid contracts start at $30 per month in a market where the average wage is $19 per month. As the operator is a monopoly and the economy is state-managed the situation is unlikely to change without major political reform. 4. Kiribati - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 16.2% An archipelago spanning 3.5m square miles with a population of roughly 105,000 people, mobile service was introduced to Kiribati in 2004. However due to the high cost of international bandwidth and corresponding high prices, mobile uptake is low. A deal to bring Oceania operator Digicel to the market fell through in 2010, meaning that international aid is the biggest hope for expanding mobile services. 5. Somalia – 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 16.3% Despite piracy, a civil war and the lack of a functioning regulator, Somalia actually has six mobile operators, although most largely functioning one of the country`s several de-facto autonomous regions. In Somaliland - one of these regions - the local operator claims that 40% of its users use mobile money services, which have filled in for the non-existent banking sector. 6. South Sudan - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 21.2% The world's newest country also has one of the world's lowest penetration rates. After the partition of Sudan, many mobile networks had to be both physically and financially divided as well and despite the fact that the country faces hostilities with its neighbors and lacks a solid regulatory framework prospects are perhaps the best of all the countries on the list. The market has five players including pan-regional operators such as Zain and MTN, and the fact that it is a distinct geography now means that there is considerably more attention and investment directed towards the country - meaning subscribers could as much as triple in the next five years. 7. Burundi - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 22.3% Burundi is a sub-Saharan African nation near the center of the continent and is one of the three lowest GDP per capita countries in the world. The country is also hilly and suffers from a lack of infrastructure but like South Sudan, Burundi has high growth potential. The country of 10 million has five mobile operators (although two recently had their licenses suspended) which has pushed down prices and forced operators to expand coverage, hence high growth is expected to continue. 8. Ethiopia - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 23.8% Ethiopia is by far the largest market on the list with a population of 84 million. The market is controlled by monopoly Ethio Telecom, although since 2010 has been managed by France Telecom. While the situation has improved under foreign management, the government has no immediate plans to either privatize the operator or introduce competition in the market, as ETC is a government cash cow and the second-largest company in the country. 9. Tuvalu - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 24.3% Tuvalu is an island nation of 12,000 located halfway between Australia and the United States, and hence capacity constraints have severely limited feasibility of providing service. Limited service is backhauled by satellite but - as is true in Kiribati - the economic feasibility of the service is severely limited. Digicel has expressed interest in entering the market, but no deal has been reached as of yet. 10. Djibouti - 2012 Mobile Penetration Rate: 24.8% The third Horn of Africa country on the list, Djibouti is similar to Eritrea in the fact that the market is a total monopoly under Djibouti Telecom, which has kept prices high in spite of the fact that the country is a major landing site for submarine cables and the country actually resells capacity to its neighbors. While the privatization of DT and the liberalization of the sector have been discussed, there are no firm plans to do so at this point. Unsurprisingly, all the countries on this list are either dictatorships, isolated islands or located in the impoverished Horn of Africa or Sub-Saharan region, and more often than not monopolies. It is also important that these numbers are SIM-based and unaudited and therefore inflated to begin with. While a few of them do show some signs of hope from a booming mobile money market in Somalia to even a new operator in North Korea. But without serious political, economic and regulatory reforms, the mobile broadband experience won't be enjoyed by everyone for some time to come. First tier telecomm accessories supply This white paper originally published here

$44 million awarded to rural companies

Tuesday, 15 January 2013 11:32 Khin Myo Thwe

It was announced on Monday that 47 companies across Burma have won a portion of a 37,700 million kyat (US $44 million) tender to work on rural development projects in their respective states. A farmer plows a field in Bagan in central Burma. (Photo: Mizzima) A spokesperson from the Rural Development Project Implementation Committee confirmed that 67 tasks will be addressed under the scheme, which includes water distribution, as well as road, bridge and housing construction. Ninety-seven companies competed for the tender with only eligible associations allowed work on their designated projects. Calls for transparency in the tender process have been made. A spokesperson from one of the winning companies said, “We should not only be told which company and which association won the tender, but also the total amount of tender price.” Aung Moe, a retired engineer from the Public Works Department, commented that he hoped this tender would be different to previous schemes: “This time we won’t let things happen like before.” He went on to say that in the past Burma’s tender schemes had differed to other countries, “but now, if there is a flaw or deterioration in the project, the company must take full responsibility.” The companies that won the tender include: Tawin Soe Nyunt, Naing Min, Meba Ain, Myint Myat Taw Taung Dan, Galone Jait, Shwe Lwin Lwin, Aung Tharaphu, Aye Gabar, Tawin Myint Myat Thu, San Myat Tun, Yoma Myae, Nawna Nyain Chan, Ayeyar Shwe Lin, Swan Arr Pyae, Lingar Depa, Zwel, Han Sein Thant, Aung Myanmar Corporative Association, Myintmoe Lwan, and Pan Khun Mine Nin. Original Article here