Myanmar has taken a step closer to issuing its fourth telecom licence, with the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) by eleven local companies, the Myanmar Times writes. The SPV will now hold a competition to select a foreign partner with which it will form a joint venture to take on the nation’s fourth telecom licence. According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s (MCIT’s) director Than Htun Aung, Roland Berger, the consultancy firm that advised the government on the tender for the two previous telecom licences, has been chosen by the SPV to assist with the selection of a foreign partner. The joint venture will be 51% owned by the SPV, whilst the foreign partner will hold the remaining 49%.
Commenting on the process, Yan Win, the chairman of incumbent ISP Yatanarpon Teleport (YTP) – one of the eleven Myanmar companies forming the SPV – said that the joint venture’s success will be dependent on its choice of partner, as the operator will be arriving ‘late’ to the market.