VDB Loi explains the practical side of telecom licenses at Myanmar Connect in Nay Pyi Taw

Myanmar’s Posts and Telecommunications Department (PTD) has issued nearly 50 telecom service licenses since the new Licensing Rules were issued under the Telecom Law. But if you need to use spectrum, and of course many licensees do, having a service license is not enough. You need a spectrum license too, which is a separate application and a separate license. The problem is, those spectrum licenses are not available yet. Only those who are already using spectrum under existing authorizations can continue to use it until their existing authorization expires..

In Edwin Vanderbruggen’s briefing for Myanmar Connect in Nay Pyi Taw this week, he pointed out three key challenges:

1. You can’t wait. No one knows for sure how long it will take before you can get a spectrum license while the Government seeks technical assistance on the matter.
2. The Government is not sure yet which spectrum should be auctioned. This introduces a lot of uncertainty on the pricing going forward.
3. There may be a cap on some service licenses at some stage, and if you did not get one in time, you won’t qualify for a spectrum license either.