Myanmar ready to license 4G services

Myanmar ready to license 4G services

Myanmar will license 4G spectrum as soon as the country’s operators are ready to introduce services, according to the deputy telecoms minister.

U Thaung Tin, quoted in the Myanmar Times, said his ministry will not deter operators from using LTE. “If operators want to launch a 4G network for their subscribers, we are ready to support the spectrum,” he said, according to the newspaper.

Myanmar — formerly Burma — has three operators that offer 3G services, state-owned MPT, and foreign-owned Ooredoo and Telenor; and all but Ooredoo also offer 2G. Another state-controlled operator, YTP, is putting a consortium together to move into the market.

Telenor said its network is 4G-ready and would consider offering 4G services if enough customers had 4G handsets. Ooredoo, speaking to the newspaper, was more cautious. The company’s Thiri Kyar Nyo said: “The quality of our 3G network is almost as high as a 4G network, so we won’t upgrade the service if only a few people will use it. If all our subscribers switch to a 4G handset, we will provide the network.”

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