MPT to launch 3G Sim cards soon

The Myanmar government will begin to sell 3G SIM cards starting from January 2013, after finishing upgrading the current 2G system to 3G, the chief engineer of Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) said.

MPT has planned to upgrade the system to support 3G network in partnership with three foreign companies, considering the slow Internet access with mobile phones caused by the current 2G system.

“We will cooperate with ZTE, Huawei and Alcatel Shanghai Bell. We plan to produce one million GSM SIM cards with 3G support within two months. Internet connections will be better,” chief engineer Htay Win said.

The unit price for GSM SIM card will be reduced to 150,000 kyats (US$180) in January, from the current price of 200,000 kyats.
MPT also announced recently that the production of CDMA SIM cards (800MHz & 450MHz) has been stopped.

Sales of GSM SIM card for 200,000 kyats and WCDMA SIM card for 250,000 kyats started in March this year, after a 30-million-unit mobile project had been launched.
Statistics show that about seven out of 100 people in the country are mobile users.