The two companies defeated nine other contestants and are the first foreign operators to enter the country, as it attempts to open up its telecommunications market.
“Telenor Mobile Communications and Ooredoo have been selected as the two successful applicants in the Nationwide Telecommunications Licence Award Process,” an official statement from the Myanmar government read today.
Telenor and Ooredoo will operate alongside Myanmar’s two existing operators Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and Yatanarpon Teleport Co.
“Myanmar will be an important pillar in our growth strategy and we are fully committed to responsibly leverage our group competencies to provide access to mobile communications services for the people of Myanmar,” said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, president and CEO of Telenor Group.
Telenor has established mobile operations in five Asian markets and the announcement marks further growth for the company.
Ooredoo is yet to officially comment on the announcement, but according to local sources the Qatari operator plans to invest $15 billion on the construction of 1,000 base stations in Myanmar, with the intention of covering 90% of the population in the next two years.
The Myanmar government has issued a number of coverage and service commitments to both operators, which include a minimum of 75% geographic coverage for each region and state for voice in the country, five years after the effective licence date.
The regulatory body also stated that “before they can receive the licences, the two successful applicants must fulfil a set of post-selection requirements”.
France Telecom-Orange and Marubeni Corporation have been named as back-up applicants for the licences, should these requirements not be met.
Orange laid out its investment strategy for the potential licence just last week.
