Qatar’s Ooredoo and Norway’s Telenor won an auction for the licences in June last year, and today the licence terms have been finalised with Myanmar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).
The licences will come into effect on February 5 for an initial duration of 15 years and will authorise both operators to begin rolling out their networks in the country.
Signed six months after initial approval, the agreement may push launch dates back further than originally expected.
Telenor had previously planned to launch its network commercially in Q2 of 2014, and Ooredoo had pledged to launch services at the beginning of this year.
According to Myanmar’s MCIT, the licences are expected to increase overall teledensity in the region, as well as deliver affordable, pubic services to both rural and urban areas of the country.
“This licence agreement marks the beginning of an exciting journey in Myanmar’s development,” said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, president and CEO of Telenor Group.
“Telenor is committed to the development of Myanmar through the delivery of world-class mobile services and responsible business practices.”
Ooredoo plans to make Myanmar the ‘jewel of Asia’ and Ross Cormack, CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar, said that the company hopes to help empower communities with telecommunications.
“We are working to develop a vibrant communications ecosystem that places Ooredoo at the heart of every community, fostering local entrepreneurial talent, creating jobs for local people and offering opportunities for local businesses,” Cormack said.
