MTN Group says it has formally entered the race for the award of two
nationwide telecommunications licences in Myanmar, with tender
applications due for submission on Monday, 3 June.
The group said it has submitted an application to the
Telecommunications Operator Tender Evaluation and Selection Committee of
the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, having seen
a consortium consisting of Vodafone and China Mobile withdraw its bid on
Friday .
MTN is in a consortium with Myanmar-based Amara Communications and M1
Telecom Limited, one of 12 groups shortlisted to own and operate a
nationwide network for an initial term of 15 years.
The Telecommunications Operator Tender Evaluation and Selection
Committee is expected to announce the successful bidders on 27 June.
MTN has nearly 200 million subscribers across Africa and the Middle
East, and with a market capitalisation of approximately $US35 billion
and annual revenues of $US18 billion, it claims to be a market leader in
70% of the 22 countries in which it operates.
“Challenges of greenfield operations in major countries are significant,” said Sifiso Dabengwa, group president and CEO of MTN.
“We know this from our successes in South Africa, Nigeria, Iran and
other populous countries. As we have underlined in our licence
application, we combine unique experience of both developed and emerging
markets. Our track record of rapidly rolling out and managing
world-class networks in challenging environments is unparalleled.”
MTN said it believes in the enormous promise of Myanmar, a country fast emerging from years of sanctions.
As a South African company founded in 1994, Dabengwa said MTN’s
experience of economic development following abolition of sanctions is
unique. “We are confident of our ability to contribute to the
socioeconomic development of Myanmar through a vibrant mobile telecoms
sector.”
The group chief further expanded on plans set out in MTN’s
application documents. “We are proposing early nationwide coverage,
high-quality voice and data, innovative services including Internet
applications and mobile banking, and, perhaps equally as importantly,
the proven training capabilities and track record of the MTN Academy.
“Our teams have been working in Myanmar for many months, and we are
both encouraged and enthused by our interactions and joint planning with
industry, commerce, finance, trade and social organisations. We are
very confident of the bright future of Myanmar and of a highly engaged
role that MTN can play.”
source: BusinessTech
No comments:
Post a Comment