Myanmar Abuzz over Phones

world’s most poorly connected nations.

Consumers descended in droves on mobile shops carrying the Ooredoo advertisements that had plastered the commercial capital for months.

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The streets of downtown Yangon and other centers were abuzz in early August as consumers, who were for years deprived of affordable mobile telecommunications, raced to handset shops offering longawaited SIM cards from the Qatari telecoms firm Ooredoo. August may well mark the beginning of a telecommunications revolution in Myanmar, as Ooredoo became the first foreign firm to see its SIM cards on the streets of one of the

Ooredoo, along with Norwegian firm Telenor, won a license to operate a mobile network in Myanmar in June 2013, and has since been erecting mobile towers and marketing its brand.

Ooredoo Myanmar said the network will reach 25 million people in 450 cities by the end of the year. Farther flung places, including Sagaing Region, Ayeyarwady Region, parts of Bago Region, and Kayin and Mon states, should get coverage before next year, according to the company.

Rival firm Telenor has said it hopes to put SIM cards into the market later this year.