Vodafone have joined forces with China Mobile to launch the latest bid for a mobile licence in the Southeast Asian state of Myanmar.
HumanIPO reported in March South African-based MTN Group believed obtaining one of the two available mobile network licences in Myanmar would be an “excellent opportunity”, and global mobile giant Vodafone appear to agree.
There are 60 million people in Myanmar, formerly Burma, but mobile penetration is less than 10 per cent.
Vodafone, which has majority shareholdings in South Africa’s Vodacom and Kenyan giant Safaricom, said in a statement: “The Myanmar communications sector is about to enter a period of rapid structural expansion as the government seeks to increase the number of mobile operators from two to four while taking measures to encourage and support the development of mobile network infrastructure across the country.”
Myanmar has a GDP growth rate of 5.5 per cent per year and Vodacom believe it will be an “important new market for the global mobile industry”.
The submission deadline for applying for one of the two going mobile telecommunication licences was April 4, 2013, and it is expected to be hotly contested. There are currently only two existing licences.
