Myanmar to sell cheaper SIM Cards like a lucky draw

Notice about Mobile SIM Cards Sale Program at Latha township, Yangon Region (Photo - EMG)

Myanmar will put on the market much-awaited 1500K (about US$2) SIM Cards through administrator's offices in townships across the country so the public can make drawing, according to sources.

Yangon Region Government has ordered the offices to do so and they will sell their monthly share of cards using the drawing system.

People interested in buying a card will need to show their identity cards and household document before being put on the drawing lists, officials say.

"Township administrator's office has informed our ward administrator's office to sell the cards through that system. So we have already notified the people living in our ward to register at the office for the cards.

We will sell CDMA-800 SIM cards at the office," said an official from Sanchaung Township's Northern Ward Administrator Office.

Full Story: http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/3174-myanmar-to-sell-cheaper-sim-cards-like-a-lucky-draw

--ELEVEN 2013-04-20

That sounds like really good news. Does anybody know of a drawback? (Too good to be true and all that....)

This SIMs are operated by MEC(Myanmar Economic Cooperation).MEC is providing mobile service to military all along and this sims run on own separate CDMA 800 networks. Probably you can't take this new sim to the area where their BTS towers are not available and the refill cards are also not the same

Apart from 'no foreigners' as usual (obv. worked around through the regular methods)?

I don't know of anyone who has been able to get a hold of one of these. Apparently it is causing a big stir and a lot of interest - but nobody knows how to guarantee getting hold of one.

I think it will be some time before the mobile system in Myanmar catches up with its neighbours. Needs more de-regulation first.

Exactly as reported. Enter your details and await the lucky draw. In many areas this was massively under subscribed. Having had a CDMA 800 phone for the best part of 15 years I got rid of mine last year, it's just crap and the coverage is also crap. I had to put an expensive antennae up on my roof just to get service.

In the area where we live the local authority were actually asking people to sign up for it, they had 35 to give away and only 12 had entered. Word is they're getting rid of surplus CDMA800 numbers and they'll be auctioning off GSM ones from next month. Everyone is waiting for the GSM ones.