Mitsui & Co. will invest $20 million in a Singapore company that is laying undersea communications cable to Myanmar, a project seen giving telecom-related businesses there a boost after the 2020 completion. In its first foray into seafloor cable operations, Mitsui will purchase a total 22% stake in Singapore’s Campana Group across a series of […]
As Myanmar eats more meat, Sumitomo to sell drugs for livestock
March 20, 2018 by
Trader aims for $1 billion in sales of pharmaceuticals for animals TOKYO — Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. is set to start selling drugs for animals in Myanmar later in March as part of an effort to enlarge its presence in what it expects to be a lucrative global market for drugs for livestock and […]
Telecoms battle to unlock demand in emerging Asia
October 10, 2017 by
TOKYO/YANGON — In a tiny village in central Myanmar, about a two-hour drive from the nation’s second largest city Mandalay, electricity does not arrive through power lines. It comes from home generators or solar panels. But that does not stop the locals from charging their smartphones. “How many of you have a mobile phone?” the […]
Video Streaming Key in Fight for Myanmar Mobile Subscribers
July 25, 2017 by
YANGON — With faster mobile connections in place and smartphone use on the rise, discount data plans on video services have become a key strategy for Myanmar’s mobile carriers in their fight to attract new subscribers. In June, Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, the country’s biggest carrier, started to offer discounted data plans to view YouTube content and local […]
Mobile Money Flourishing in Myanmar
June 20, 2017 by
YANGON — For a population used to carrying wads of cash stuffed in pockets, purses and wallets, mobile money has the potential in Myanmar to dislodge paper as the main means to make payments and remittances. Mobile money is a fintech service that enables money to be deposited and withdrawn using apps downloaded to mobile phones. […]
Myanmar industrial park set to grow
October 28, 2016 by
YANGON — Myanmar’s first modern industrial park, developed in partnership with Japan, is due for a roughly 30% expansion as early as 2018. Building out the Thilawa industrial park is estimated to cost around 5 billion yen ($48.1 million). Opened in September 2015, the park is now 90% under contract. Construction of the park kicked […]
Myanmar’s wireless market heating up
April 20, 2016 by
YANGON — Competition in Myanmar’s mobile phone market is getting fierce. With sustained downward pressure on prices, the industry fears it could squeeze itself out of profitability. And things could get worse. Last July, Myanmar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said it would invite bids for a fourth mobile phone operator’s license. At first, […]
Foreign firms eye new Myanmar telecoms licence despite inexperienced partners
January 26, 2016 by
Jan 25 Seven foreign firms are interested in bidding for Myanmar’s fourth telecoms license, a government official said on Monday, as the prospects of one of the region’s least connected nations outweigh the challenges of a partnership involving obscure local firms with scant industry experience. Chit Wai, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Communications […]
Yangon KFC operator upbeat on post-election economy
December 7, 2015 by
Myanmar’s first KFC restaurant has thrived since opening in Yangon in July, with people regularly seen lining up outside the shop to buy the various chicken dishes on offer. The franchise is operated by Yoma Strategic Holdings, the Singaporean subsidiary of Myanmar conglomerate Serge Pun & Associates. Serge Pun, SPA’s founder, is known as the […]
Myanmar launches Thilawa industrial zone
September 24, 2015 by
THANLYIN, MYANMAR — Dignitaries from Myanmar and Japan on Wednesday launched the first phase of a huge industrial zone on the outskirts of Yangon, as the long-isolated nation pushes to rapidly accelerate its industrialisation. Housing everything from children’s toy manufacturing to a car assembly plant and a deep-sea port, the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) […]
