Domestic telecommunication operators Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and Yadanapon Teleport, have said that it will be a big challenge for domestic operators to compete with foreign ones.
They made the remark in the ‘Myanmar Connect 2013’ held at the MICC hall in Naypyitaw on September 10. They said that they are already facing challenges related to lack of adequate human resources.
Tin Win, CEO Yadanapon Teleport said, “For domestic telecommunication operators like us, there are not enough technicians in Myanmar, besides other challenges in investment and service sectors.”
Aung Maw, Managing Director of MPT said that when MPT separates from the Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs, to become a stand alone telecommunication operator, it will encounter difficulties in employing skilled technicians.
He said, “We still do not have skilled workforce. Another challenge we will face is with improving infrastructure. Providing good, cost-effective service to our customers is also a challenge.”
Foreign operators who attended the ‘Myanmar Connect 2013’ said that they will make efforts to improve human resources when they start operating in Myanmar.
An official at Ooredoo said, “We will provide training to local staff in Myanmar to enhance their level of skills. We will also send them to foreign countries so that they can be trained to maximize their skills.”
He added that the domestic operators will need long-term business partners for the investment sector in providing telecommunication services.
Petter Borre Furberg, CEO Telenor, Myanmar, said, “In order to ensure that Myanmar has an extensive telecommunication network, operators need to cooperate with one another. In the long run, there will be large investments. In my experience, if operators use communication towers as much as they need and cooperate with each other, customers will get services at low prices.”
Around 400 delegates from domestic and foreign companies attended ‘Myanmar Connect 2013’.
