Myanmar telecommunication authorities, in cooperation with private companies, will invest over $661 million for building over 1,400 GSM mobile line towers under the first phase of its five-year plan starting this year, a local media reported in this week's issue.
Under the first phase, a total of 4 million GSM mobile phone lines will be installed in eight big cities, the 7-Days News said.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar telecommunication authorities are planning to expand Myanmar GSM mobile phone coverage to Asian countries while allowing in coverage of GSM SIM cards from ASEAN members within two years.
The GSM SIM cards of China and Vietnam have been in use in Myanmar under a pilot project since Myanmar's annual gems emporium held in March this year.
According to the official statistics, there are over 1.09 million auto-telephones and 2.1 million mobile phones in Myanmar totalling 3.19 million at present compared with 74,855 in 1988, adding that telephone density has hit 5.4 per cent in the entire nation with 30 per cent in Yangon and 20 per cent in Mandalay.
There remains lesser density in rural areas and efforts are being made for installation of cellular, CDMA-450, CDMA-800 and GSM phones for the increase of the telephone density, better facility and wider coverage of telephone in the rural areas.
Internet users reached 3,80,000 in Myanmar in March 2011, up 28,610 compared with the same period of 2010.
Source : New Age
