Myanmar: Telecommunications Reform

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Myanmar) is one of the largest and poorest countries in the South East Asian region. The country recently emerged out of 60 years of conflict with run-down infrastructure from years of civil unrest. The government has embarked on a long-term transition from an authoritarian military system to democratic governance; from a centrally directed economy to market oriented reforms; and from years of strife to peace. Since the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector — and telecommunications operators specializing in mobile telephony—tend to be the first to arrive in post-conflict settings, it is important that government reforms and regulatory approaches facilitate these investments and begin to change country risk ratings and investor perceptions.