[Myanmar] Burma Names 12 Bidders In Race For 2 Mobile Licenses

Burma has announced the names of 12 international consortia that have pre-qualified to bid for two mobile licenses, moving closer to opening one of the last major untapped mobile markets. Among the companies are India’s Bharti Airtel, China Mobile, Japan’s KDDI Corp, Africa’s MTN, Singapore Telecommunications, Norway’s Telenor SA and Digicel, a group backed by billionaire George Soros. Two winners will be selected to receive 15-year telecommunications licenses by June 27, according to the selection committee. The bidding has attracted wide interest because mobile penetration is just 5-10 percent in Burma, a country of 60 million people.—Reuters