MTN bids for Myanmar licence

MTN has been successful in operating in volatile countries‚ some of which have endured years of social and political unrest.

The company has ventured into territories such as Iran, Nigeria and Syria and over the years some of these markets have provided steady revenue and subscriber growth.

According to MTN chief executive Sifiso Dabengwa, Myanmar has a population of 60m but only about 5% of the people have mobile phones. There are two licences on offer in the country and MTN is hoping to secure one of them.

"I think it represents an excellent opportunity‚ but it could be a challenging venture as Myanmar is different from the markets in which we have operated before," he said.

The Myanmar government is reportedly targeting a mobile penetration rate of about 80% by 2016 once the new licences have been awarded and services are operating.