Mobile data users reaches 3 mln in 2014

The number of mobile data users has increased steadily since 2011 and is approaching 3 million this year, according to the Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT).

Mobile users can order data services via SMS to receive internet on their phone, a process which once required filling out multiple forms at the MPT offices in person.

Still additional data services cost Ks 10,000 (US$10) – a price since reduced from Ks 30,000 ($30) – and the connection speeds are often low and unreliable.

“Accessing mobile internet has become convenient, thanks to Android powered handsets. But regardless of the handset quality, the MPT data services are still terrible,” said mobile user Thar Nge.

Tech University sees opportunities in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) A local technology university leader agreed to put forth a proposal for implementing personnel training and other resources exchange projects with Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region after a fruitful meeting with the region's trade and investment representative Tuesday.

With local birth rates declining, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) Vice President Lee Duu-jong said institutes of higher education in Taiwan are under pressure to find a market for their educational resources.

Myanmar's vast, untapped human resources that are needed to develop the Southeast Asian country's economy happen to offer a good opportunity for universities like Lee's to find a market value for its expertise, said Aung Pe Than, the visiting representative of Ayeyarwady Region Government.

Ooredoo clicks on Microsoft ahead of network launch

As Telecom operator Ooredoo prepares to launch its mobile network here in August it is hyping a slew of new partnerships and deals with global companies that it hopes will give it the edge over its rivals, as well as drum up attention to its service.

The latest announcement is a deal with software giant Microsoft that Ooredoo says will spark global opportunities for the next generation of techies in Myanmar.

It said its programme to support local start-ups in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, Ideabox, will be connected to Microsoft tools and services offered through that company’s DreamSpark and BizSpark programmes.

BizSpark provides access to software, developer tools, support, training and cloud technology to enable developers to develop new programs. Free access to Windows stores and the ability to access the global BizSpark community enables new ventures to build scale quickly, Ooredoo Myanmar said.

Myanmar search engine to launch in July

As online and mobile technology takes off, how will people search Myanmar-language content? The answer is uncertain: The country has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world and, so far, no very good search tools. That’s why Bindez, a local start-up, is working on it.

Nurtured through Project Hub’s 2013 fellowship for entrepreneurs, the project belongs to computer science grads Ko Htet Will, 23, and Ko Ye Wint Ko, 24, who co-founded Bindez with their fellowship mentor and now CEO, Rahul Batra, 29. With a recently confirmed seed investment and a uniquely qualified team, the project is one to watch as the country makes the leap from virtually no tech to the future.

78 more foreign-invested firms arrive this year

Singapore, Japan and South Korea continue to be the top sources of foreign investment in Myanmar this year, with companies from the three Asian Tigers leading the way among the 78 foreign invested firms given permission to invest in Myanmar in the fist five months of this year.

Companies from Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Sweden, India, Brunei and Laos followed suit.

Two types of foreign investments were allowed: 100 per cent foreign-invested firms and joint ventures with local partners.

Rockwell Automation Sets Sight on Myanmar

Rockwell Automation will now focus on Myanmar as its next strategic market in Southeast Asia to drive further growth in its already strong revenue stream. In line with this, the company has appointed MINs Control Systems Solution Co. Ltd (MCSS) as its first Recognized System Integrator for Myanmar to meet industrial automation demand by machine builders and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), as well as end users, seeking smart, safe and sustainable solutions for improved productivity and profitability.

The Startup Life In A Country That's Just Getting Smartphones

YANGON, Myanmar -- Tucked on the second floor of a turquoise building with peeling paint is a five-person tech startup that shares an office with Linn Construction, a property developer. Thar Htet, a cherubic 29-year-old Yangon native who dreams of Google-style success, does double duty as the founder of the app company, Zwenex, and a manager of the construction firm -- a family business that's currently helping to keep his tech venture afloat.

It's a telling sign of the state of the startup scene here in Yangon. Elsewhere, creating smartphone apps is largely considered the most nimble and least expensive path to riches. In Myanmar, which three years ago emerged from the 40-year yoke of a military dictatorship, it's the brick-and-mortar real estate business that has to bankroll the digital endeavor.

More foreign companies to invest in Myanmar

According to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), more foreign companies have been allowed to invest in Myanmar.

A meeting of the Myanmar Investment Commission has revealed that companies from China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia have been permitted to operate businesses in Myanmar. 

The Japan-based Komatsu Manufacturing Co. Ltd., has a permit in manufacturing electronic generators and will establish their business in Pyigyidagun Township, Mandalay Region.
Korean and Chinese companies have been allowed to run garment factories in Intagaw Industry Zone, Bago Region. 

Trade on the rise along Myanmar's busy borders

Thailand will remain the second largest trading partner of Myanmar for the foreseeable future as cheaper goods from top-ranked China continue to make inroads into Asean’s last frontier economy.

Trade between Myanmar and Thailand was worth $5.57 billion, about 22% of all international trade worth $24.86 billion, during the fiscal year that ended in March 2014, according to the Ministry of Commerce in Myanmar.

Myanmar has a huge trade surplus with Thailand because oil and gas account for a large share of its $4.2 billion in exports, while imports from Thailand into Myanmar were worth $1.36 billion.

Myanmar to adopt Mobile Banking System

Most local banks are not capable of providing mobile banking services although Myanmar Cenral Bank has authorized for such services.

“At present, there are only a few banks proposed to offer the service. Some application forms need to be reapplied in order to complete data requirements. Mobile banking is not a new banking procedure. It is just an additional service,” said an official of Myanmar Central Bank.

Myanmar poised to have ‘60 million citizens come online almost overnight’

Rita Nguyen delivered an electrifying keynote speech on the opportunities awaiting technology companies that expand into Myanmar to close the conference session for Startup Asia Singapore Day 1. Her wide-ranging presentation delivered insights gleaned from her work as co-founder and CEO of Squar.Asia, a social media and gaming company making strong headway in Myanmar. As Nguyen explained, the fact that Myanmar has become a much-buzzed about new market for internet companies was near-unthinkable just three years ago. With laws and regulations severely restricting online autonomy, and by extension entrepreneurship, many companies assumed that the nation was off limits. That started to change after the military junta, which had been controlling the country, was dissolved in 2011. Now far less fettered, Myanmar citizens are free to explore the internet and join what Nguyen calls the “global conversation”. 

ReadyPlanet targets Myanmar for Web services

ReadyPlanet, a large Thai readymade Web-service provider, aims to grow 50 per cent this year by expanding in emerging services and markets, especially Myanmar.
CEO Songyot Kanthamanon said last week that the company will launch two services this year - Baidu's online ads and Facebook's ads - while increasing services for its readymade website to help its customers design responsive websites.

The company will take its readymade website to Myanmar, where the online business is expected to grow rapidly. It is forming a team to oversee ReadyMyanmar.com.

Making connections: Telenor goes online

On March 8, a quiet revolution happened. The Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor became the first private company in Myanmar's history to establish an international Internet link from the country.

The new Telenor connection is the first time that government-backed Myanmar Post and Telecommunications monopoly on the Internet has been broken.

When reached for comment, Telenor responded by email saying, "We can confirm that we are leasing capacity out of Myanmar to run performance tests on our network and IT systems."

Mitsubishi Electric to Establish Yangon Branch Office in Myanmar

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) announced today that its Singapore-based subsidiary, Mitsubishi Electric Asia Pte Ltd, will establish a branch office in Yangon, Myanmar. The Yangon Branch Office, which will commence operations on April 25, will coordinate Mitsubishi Electric's efforts to expand business in Myanmar by conducting market research, collecting information and providing support for infrastructure projects and local distributors.

The office, headed by General Manager Kohji Maruyama, will be located at Unit No. 05-04 (Level-5), Union Business Centre, Nat Mauk Road, Bo Cho Quarter, Bahan Township, Yangon.

Rail ministry to start e-tickets on circular train

YANGON - The Ministry of Rail Transportation has announced a tender to implement an electronic ticket system aimed to facilitate commuters travelling on Yangon’s circular railway on March 29.

The electronic circular train permit can be used like the i-pay card that was previously used on buses, according to railway officials.

“Why we plan to use e-ticket is that there are an increasing number of circular train passengers. For that it will be more convenient. We are also upgrading our rail systems to reach international standards,” said an official from Yangon Central Railway Station.

Google Glass Sets its Sights on Myanmar

Just as people in Myanmar were getting used to seeing smartphones in urban dwellers’ hands, another device – one far more rare and technologically-advanced – has come their way: Google Glass.

The voice-activated, wearable computer is not yet for sale in Myanmar. In fact, it remains a rare sight anywhere aside from tech-flooded U.S. cities like San Francisco and New York.

iPad transactions come to Yangon

A fast payment system involving a quick swipe of a credit card has been introduced in two of Yangon’s top hotels, and could be extended further. Myanmar Citizens’ Bank and 2C2P Company have together launched the iACCEPT system now in use at the Inya Lake and Strand hotels, said U Aung Kyaw Moe, founder and group CEO of 2C2P.

“If a customer wants to pay a bill [using this system], the waiter will bring this device, and they just touch their card to it,” he said.

Japan’s IIDA to make electronics in Myanmar

IIDA Electronics Ltd. from Japan has been granted permission from the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) on February 13 to manufacture and sell electronic equipment in Myanmar.

The company will set up a factory in Mingaladon Industrial Zone, in Yangon. IIDA was established in 1965 and has an initial investment of more than Yen 300 million. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Indian engineering exporters set sights on Myanmar

New Delhi: Faced with challenges in markets like the US and Europe that have been in the grip of a slowdown, Indian engineering exporters have set sights on Myanmar, a mineral-rich nation which also has abundant natural gas reserves.

"While the Westerners are flocking to Myanmar in search of next big thing and investors are scouting for new business potential, Indian businessmen would not like to miss the opportunities in a country which is of strategic interest to us in terms of its location," engineering exporters body EEPC India Executive Director Bharat Sarkar said.

Panasonic to distribute solar lanterns in Myanmar

YANGON—Panasonic will distribute its new solar lantern in Myanmar starting in January.

Distribution of the lanterns is aimed at providing off-grid energy solutions to areas with limited electricity in Southeast Asian countries. They will be sold at a price of around Ks 50,000 in supermarkets and grocery shops across Myanmar.