Passengers and a rickshaw rider stand in the
foreground of a illuminated Billboard advertising Telecom Company Ooredoo, in
Yangon, Burma. Pic: AP.
Ooredoo, one of two international telecoms
operating in Burma, announced distributors for its low-cost mobile devices on
Friday. The Qatari company pledges to provide affordable devices and SIM cards
to the country and has already integrated itself into Burma’s growing tech
scene ahead of the product roll-out.
The six
companies named as distributors in a press release that went out at the end of
last week were: Great Ayerwaddy Telecoms Company Limited, MDG Mobile Company
Limited, Capital Connect Limited, Kiwi & I Co. Limited, and MDR Golden
Myanmar Sea Co. Limited. These companies are “exclusive, territory specific
distributors,” according to the release, and “are currently signing up hundreds
of dealers within townships across their territories.”
Myint
Zaw, Ooredoo’s head of sales encouraged businesses interested in retailing any
of Ooredoo’s products and services, to get in contact with appointed
distributors within their areas.
“Logistics
is an important part of our business,” Myint Zaw said in a statement. “The
distributors we have partnered with are leaders in their field and we’re
committed to working with them to enable the people of [Burma] easy access to
our latest generation mobile network.”
Ooredoo
plans to sell SIM cards, Top-Up cards, and handsets throughout the country and
has a stated goal of reaching 97 percent of the population within five years.
The company’s website states its intention to “build out a nationwide 3G
network and deliver an accessible, affordable and life-enhancing services to
the people of [Burma].” Telenor has said it intends to reach 90 percent of the
population within five years as well.
Telenor,
a Norwegian telecom, is also working on bringing low-cost Internet and mobile
products and services to Burma. Both companies have sponsored events and
initiatives in the tech and information spheres since entering the country.
Last week, Telenor hosted a Wikipedia forum at Dagon University, according to
Eleven Myanmar. The goal was to address access issues for people in Burma,
since Myanmar Wikipedia has different content than the English version and the
local font is not always readable. Ooredoo sponsored Burma’s first hackathon in
March, and has since sponsored cultural and industry events. The company has
also announced partnerships with Microsoft and Samsung for initiatives in
Burma.
A
recent Forbes article notes that both Ooredoo and Telenor have affirmed that
their products and services will be affordable for many in Burma, which is
considerably poorer and less developed in many ways than several others in the
region. The Forbes article also pointed out that both telecoms have
demonstrated success when they entered other emerging markets.
The
market is ripe in the developing country and there is a desire for affordable
phones and services. There’s plenty of interest in developing products for this
market, but infrastructure remains a key challenge in providing access to the
people, especially those outside major cities. The International Business Times
reported in April that only 30 percent of the population has access to
electricity.
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