The Myanmar Post and Tele-Communication (MPT) has only provided Mon State’s Ye Town residents two of the six Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL) for internet connections that it promised to provide to their town. The MPT provided the two ADSL’s on September 22nd by drawing lots, according to Ye Town ADSL applicants.
“It is unfair if five lines out of six are sold in advance without informed locals,” said ADSL applicant Ko Tin Hla, adding that “It is a kind of sale. The more buyers offer, the better the outcome and locals will no longer have to gather in one place to use Wi-Fi.”
Six ADSL lines were promised to the public and thirty-four Ye Town residents had already applied for the drawing, but five of the lines have were sold actually in advance to the Kaba Yatana Bank, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), MCC Computer Training, Rainbow Electronic Material store, and the Mya Myint-Moe Hotel.
The Ye Social Society (YSS) opposes such advance sales, which were arranged by the township administrator on September 15th. The one remaining ADSL line and another reserved ADSL line will be provided to local applicants by drawing lots.
“We did this with the purposes of preventing government staff from accepting bribes and not carrying out as he/she planned in order to practice negotiation and transparency. Because the administrator cooperated with us we are satisfied with that, and we hope such negotiation and transparency practices will be used in the future,” said YSS secretary Ko Aung Naing Win.
After taking aside the thirty-four applicants that have already received the ADSL, along with those living in Aung-Minkalaw, Aung Thukha, and Aung Myinthar Quarters (where access to ADSL lines isn’t convenient), twenty-six applicants remained for the last ADSL subscriptions. Out of those twenty-six, lots were chosen, and Ko Moe Aung, owner of the Electronic Material store, and Ko Aung Soe, owner of the Soe-pye Tea Ship, won the last two ADSL connections.
Local subscribers in Ye Town had been experiencing problems with the MPT’s, and now people are able to gather at locations with ADSL lines to access free Wi-Fi.
In November 2012, the MPT instituted new fees for ADSL use, charging 50,000 kyat for initial set-up fees, a 17,000 kyat monthly rate for those using connection speeds of 256 Kb, and an 80,000 kyat monthly rate for those using of 2.5 Meg.
The ADSL high-speed lines offered through lots is the first time Ye Town residents have received such an opportunity.
