YANGON (Myanmar Eleven/ANN) – Myanmar aims to provide mobile services to about 90 per cent of the population by 2020.
Although mobile penetration has reached about 90 per cent of Myanmar’s population, many rural areas are left without coverage, according to Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications.
“One of the objectives in the telecoms master plan was to provide mobile services to about 90 per cent of the population by 2020. Although the target has been reached, it is mostly in urban areas. The government is aiming for more balanced coverage,” said an official from the ministry.
According to the census, about 70 per cent of the 51 million citizens live in rural areas. About half of the north and east are covered by forest or are mountainous.
Mobile coverage was about 54 per cent in the 2014-15 financial year and it reached over 89 per cent last year. Statistics on SIM sales suggest up to 89 per cent of the population could have a phone although analysts say approximately half of the population have one.
Foreign telecom operators, Ooredoo and Telenor, were late to introduce their mobile network in Rakhine and Chin states.
Source: Myanmar Eleven
