State-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecom (MPT) is in partnership talks with a number of international operators, in anticipation of competition from new market entrants Telenor and Ooredoo.
MPT is holding discussions with major international operators involving forming a mobile joint venture for the market, the Myanmar Times reported, citing managing director U Aung Maw.
A France Telecom executive told the paper that mobile unit Orange has been approached by the Myanmar government over a potential partnership. France Telecom has already entered an agreement to soon provide international roaming services to MPT customers.
MPT is also in talks with operators from Japan, Singapore and some other western countries.
MPT is currently Myanmar's sole mobile network operator, but this is due to change due to the liberalization of the nation's telecom sector.
In June, the government awarded nationwide mobile licenses to Norway's Telenor and Qatar's Ooredoo, following a tender process that had attracted a number of large telecom operators.
Both Telenor and Ooredoo aim to commence providing mobile services next year, and their ambitious rollout plans will give MPT a run for its money.
YTP, a domestic Myanmar telecom firm also in possession of a mobile license, this week entered an expanded partnership deal with Epsilon covering the provision of enterprise data services.