NSN opens offices in Myanmar's Yangon to support mobile rollouts

Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) has stepped up its local presence in Myanmar by opening two offices in the country's former capital Yangon, previously known as Rangoon.

The company said its increased presence in the country will better equip it to support the network rollout of domestic operators and help fulfil the government's target to provide network coverage across 90 per cent of Myanmar by 2015.

In January, Telenor and Ooredoo both won 15-year licences to provide mobile communications services in Myanmar. Ooredoo said in December last year that it had selected NSN as its key supplier of radio and core equipment. Under a two-year deal, the Finland-based vendor is to build a complete 3G radio access network in the 900 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands.

Ericsson announced at the end of March that it had been awarded a five-year contract for multivendor managed services to support Telenor's nationwide network rollout. Huawei is also supplying network equipment for the Norwegian company's Myanmar venture. In January, Telenor said it plans to launch services within eight months.

With a population of around 60 million, of which less than 10 per cent have access to mobile services, Myanmar represents a strong business opportunity for both operators in Asia.

Telenor previously said it will build an HSPA and LTE-ready network, and plans to provide network coverage for 90 per cent of the population in Myanmar within five years. It is targeting EBITDA break-even in Myanmar within three years after the licence award.

According to a study commissioned by Ericsson, it is estimated that the mobile communications industry will employ approximately 66,000 full time employees in Myanmar, with an additional 24,000 full-time jobs estimated to be created in the wider economy as a result of interactions with mobile network operators.

For more:
- see this NSN release

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