The Qatar-based telco is conducting a rollout across much of Myanmar, with plans to cover 25 million people by the end of 2014, the firm said in a press release.
Ooredoo is using solely 3G in Myanmar, with a UMTS-900 network. It has also announced plans for a 4G network in the future.
Although the firm is claiming 1 million customers, it is not immediately apparent how many are actively using the SIMs. Some shop owners have said the market for Ooredoo top-up cards is “cold”, though added it could improve as the telco’s coverage strengthens. Still, Ooredoo CEO Ross Cormack said on August 23 that the “response to our launch has been inspiring.”
Mr Cormack made the comment at a August 23 Nay Pyi Taw dinner that was also attended by Ooredoo group chair Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani and U Myat Hein, Myanmar’s minister of communications and information technology.
U Myat Hein said the government has “worked hard to lay the foundations for the creation of a competitive telecommunications landscape that truly serves our people and we are closer than ever to achieving this”.
Ooredoo and Norwegian telco Telenor both received licences in February 2014 after winning a competitive licence tender from 91 international competitors in 2013. Telenor is expected to launch operations in late September.
Until Ooredoo’s launch, Myanmar had one operator, state-run MPT.
Source: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/technology/11527-ooredoo-claims-1-million-customers.html
