Professional Documents
Culture Documents
&
Telecommunications
Faster
internet on
the way
Register SIM cards
and be safe
Faster
internet on
the way
The governments
target is to offer
good and affordable
communication from
cities to even the most
remote homes
BY Htoo Thant
Losing connectivity
in Nay Pyi Taw
There are fewer customers at internet cafes in Nay Pyi Taw. Photo: Pyae Thet Phyo
one are the days of stuffy internet cafes filled with noisy
keyboards and customers queuing for seats. In the capital
Nay Pyi Taw, at least, once-flourishing internet cafes are
struggling to stay in business.
Rising overhead costs, the availability of cheap but sophisticated
smartphones making the internet easily accessible, and unreliable
connectivity are affecting internet cafes. Many operators are eking
out a living because users only visit to play online games as opposed
to the time when they needed to do so for every internet activity,
including checking their email.
Increasingly, operators have had to cater to gamers. The owner of
Yuzana Internet & Game Arcade in Shwe Kyar Pin ward, Zabuthiri
township, Nay Pyi Taw, told The Myanmar Times that even so, business
is still not profitable.
Most kids come in only to play online games. Customers rarely
use Facebook. Lately, the internet connection has not been good
and the ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) is often down.
The ADSL service provider is blaming the interruptions on faulty
telephone lines, she said.
Those who rent their premises can hardly pay the rent, and its not
much better for those who own their premises.
An owner who has operated an internet cafe in Nay Pyi Taw for
almost four years said she has to pay K50,000 monthly for using a
1.5 Mbps (million bits per second) ADSL plan, another K80,000 for
electricity and K120,000 a month for each member of staff. The internet connectivity is not reliable here. Kids leave our cafe when the
connection is down. Im not going to be running this as a long-term
business, she said.
Owners and users blame the slow internet speed on the large
volume of usage, mainly by government offices in Nay Pyi Taw, the
hub of ministerial offices.
When Facebook became popular in Nay Pyi Taw in 2011, at least
20 internet cafes were doing business. At least half have closed shop
now.
With the coming of mobile network operators like Telenor and
Ooredoo, cheap SIM cards and handy smartphones, things got even
more difficult.
Once, Nay Pyi Taw internet cafe operators could charge customers
K300-400 per hour and easily raked in K40,000 daily. These days they
are lucky to get K12,000 a day.
Kyaw Kyaw Win, an internet cafe employee, said Nay Pyi Taw,
home to over 1 million people, corporate and government offices,
and spread over eight townships, needs stable and faster internet
connectivity.
Translation by Win Thaw Tar
Villagers walk past a telecommunications tower. The government has prioritised plans for faster mobile data service nationwide. Photo: Kaung Htet
Playing the
4G ace
Ooredoo is aggressively building
more towers, acquiring high-speed
spectrum to spread its services
BY Aung Kyaw Nyunt and
Kyi Tha Maung
Rene Meza is CEO of Ooredoo Myanmar, the first operator to roll out 4G services in the country. Photo: Aung Kyaw Nyunt
Users should register their SIM cards at relevant mobile phone stores. Photo: Aung Htay Hlaing
Rene Meza
CEO, Ooredoo Myanmar
In my opinion, there are two parties
involved. First, we have operators
who have the responsibility of
informing customers of the importance of registering SIM cards and
the sales representatives should
help users in the process. The next
player would be the users themselves who must take responsibility
to follow the standard rule. The
prescribed rule is simple to follow:
all SIM card users must register. Out
of over 8 million Ooredoo SIM card
users, 75 percent have completed
their registration, meaning over 6
million people have registered.
Takashi Nagashima
CEO, Myanma Posts and Telecommunications
Its compulsory in many countries
to register mobile phone SIM cards.
In Thailand, it was announced that
all SIM cards should be registered by
July 2015. So, this is not something
that is happening only in Myanmar.
The main purpose of having SIM
cards registered is for public security. The next objective would be to
use its credibility in services such as
the mobile banking system, paying
bills through mobile phones and online shopping. It could also be used
as identification in e-government
and mobile financial transactions.
Htoo Aung
User of all three services
I use SIM cards of all three operators and have also registered all of
them. I think we should register our
SIM cards to prevent any untoward
incident from happening. SIM card
registration is done in other countries too. What is more important
than registration is to effectively
explain to customers the need to
register the cards on the spot where
they buy them. Moreover, the
process should be simple and not
take too long. In my opinion, users
should also be informed of the adverse effects of not registering their
SIM cards.
Takashi Nagashima is CEO of Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, the largest telecom operator in the country. Photo: Aung Kyaw Nyunt
additional convenience and better services than other telecommunications networks. Services for individuals would be
improved as well, Mr Nagashima said.
Currently, MPT is strategically extending its mobile network
which now covers 96 percent of Myanmars population. Weve
already established a large number of communication towers
and are also expanding the network every day. MPT uses 900
MHz frequency, so we can use fewer towers but have more
widespread coverage.
At present, MPTs 3G network uses 2100 MHz and 900 MHz
frequencies. The advantage of using 900 MHz is it gives a
better-quality network service. This means, compared to other
networks, in an area having the same size, we can give the
same amount of services with fewer mobile stations.
MPT is also looking forward to seeing further improvements this December when there will be an improvement in
bandwidth usage by linking with the Southeast Asia-Middle
East-Western Europe 5 (SEA-ME-WE5) optical fibre submarine
communications cable system, Mr Nagashima said.
Progress will also be made due to the offering of more
spectrum frequency licences by the government. The Ministry
of Transport and Communications and its Department of Posts
and Telecommunications have a spectrum frequency roadmap
Myanma Posts and Telecommunications paraphernalia includes a broadband satellite dish (left) and an array of SIM cards. Photos: Staff, Aung Htay Hlaing
ith private telecom operators permitted to promote their technology in Myanmar, those benefitting from their services include not only the public
but also experts in the IT world. We talked with some IT experts to get their views on the mobile industry and its impact
on IT in Myanmar.
Soe Thiha Naung is a chief trainer at Myanmar Links, Myint
Kyaw Thu is chief technical officer at MyPlay and Htoo Myint
Naung is the CEO of Technomation. Here is what they have to
say:
How has Myanmar progressed after foreign telecom operators were allowed into the country?
Soe Thiha Naung: We welcome competition among telecom
operators in the communications sector as they provide the
most basic infrastructure in a country. I am putting more hope
in the present government than in the previous one. They need
to provide speedier and cheaper internet service. I was hoping
for some improvement in the technology sector, but there
wasnt anything mentioned about that in the 100-day plan.
The situation is not as we had hoped for and we do not even
have an exclusive ministry for technology, which we should
have had.
Myint Kyaw Thu: Myanmars IT industry witnessed a paradigm shift after foreign operators were allowed in. In the past,
computers or the internet were used only by those familiar
with IT. Now they have become indispensable to everyone. As
the internet can be accessed at a rather inexpensive price, the
knowledge gap between people of different social strata has
narrowed.
Htoo Myint Naung: A tremendous improvement can be seen
in the cost of using the internet. In the past, the public relied
on internet cafes, but now everyone can access the 3G or 4G
services on their mobile phones.
with a mobile paying system, in reality there are only few users.
Htoo Myint Naung: If mobile money were used only for
transferring money, there would still be difficulties related
with other applications. We are still waiting for the time when
mobile money would really become successful.
How would you solve the Myanmar font problem prevailing
among current mobile users?
Soe Thiha Naung: From the app developers view, only Zawgyi
font should be supported, because at present, there are still
those who are using Android version 4.2.x for the Myanmar
font system on their mobiles. There is a system now where users can type in any font of their choice that would be automatically recognised and changed into the Unicode system. Zawgyi
still has to provide assistance for applications that are more
common in the mobile market. Only developers can solve the
Myanmar font issue.
What is your view on current communications technology?
Soe Thiha Naung: Except for the fact that we have foreign
telecom operators coming in, there is no other obvious change
in the communications technology sector. There are enormous
opportunities for senior positions but little is being done in
capacity building for junior-level staff. People want strong and
effective, rather than lousy, services in the market.
Myint Kyaw Thu: The government needs to introduce muchneeded rules and regulations for the telecoms sector. Multiple
laws are needed to protect the benefits of customers and
companies running mobile businesses. If not, there would be a
lot of negative consequences in the long run.
Htoo Myint Naung: Instead of making innovations in technology or products that would be relevant here, they are just
trying to copy products or ideas that have been successful in
other countries.
How should the development and marketing of the software industry be implemented? How far has it progressed?
Soe Thiha Naung: The steps that we need to take are very
simple. Theyve been taken and implemented smoothly for a
long time in other countries. First, enact a policy; second, get
technology assistance and third, change peoples mindset.
So far, we havent seen any policy enacted, no technological
assistance seriously taken, and theres no change in peoples
mindset. Whenever we mention e-government, it is just useless talk with no substance.
Myint Kyaw Thu: As mentioned, laws, starting from intellectual property (IP), that protect consumers and companies are
needed to improve the software industry. An industry that
is not fairly protected by law cannot survive. In the past,
we didnt have any telecom operators. Its an improvement now. Infrastructure, such as payment system, is
needed; so are IP or Anti-Trust laws. Only then could there
be improvement.
Htoo Myint Naung: I think it is very important to officially
enact a Piracy and Intellectual Property Law. I am not satisfied
with the progress. Just comparing the amount of software that
we are buying or pirating from others and the number of our
own production will show how much we are behind.
Translation by Emoon and San Layy
Telenor on a
building spree
Myanmar Info-Tech in Hlaing township is home to many internet service providers. Photo: Staff
Myanmar wired:
some internet options
Lars Erik Tellmann is CEO of Telenor Myanmar. Photo: Supplied
elenor Myanmar wants to ensure affordable mobile communication services reach all levels of Myanmar society, rather than
merely targeting high-income earners.
The Norwegian-linked company was the first telecom operator to
offer a free service for Facebook, the most popular social network here,
and continuously offered rates and services that were affordable and
accessible to all users.
Telenor is adopting the same sales and distribution model that was
implemented in several other Asian countries.
Telenor is committed to providing the best distribution in the
market and we have constructed our distribution network based on
successful experiences we acquired in other Asian markets, its CEO
Lars Erik Tellmann said.
Currently, Telenor has more than 170 distributors and nearly 80,000
retail outlets across the country.
Its staff regularly visits these outlets to provide support from headquarters. Furthermore, through high-quality carrier service, Telenor
supplements necessary service equipment to those places.
Of late, foreign-linked telecom operators here have been contending with each other to cover Myanmar with 4G networks, and Telenor
Myanmar launched its fourth-generation service in Nay Pyi Taw on July 7.
It intends to deliver 4G as widely as possible and tests are in progress in
some townships.
We introduced our 4G services in Nay Pyi Taw and already tested
these services in Yangon, Mandalay, Muse and Myawady. We will
continue to offer our 4G services to cities across Myanmar soon, Mr.
Tellmann said.
Telenor is focusing on providing better internet services to densely
populated cities where many users are located. To offer the best internet access, more high-frequency towers need to be constructed, and
they should be erected closely to each other, he explained.
Telenor Myanmar hopes to achieve its ambitious targets of having
more than 7000 towers by the end of 2016 and widening its coverage to
more than 90 percent of the population before 2018.
According to a recent press statement, Telenor Myanmar has built
5800 towers and has 17 million customers here.
Mr Tellmann also said there is also potential to develop mobile monetary services.
While a majority of Myanmars population are still out of reach of
services offered by banks, mobile money will greatly assist individual
money transferring to help businesses do their payment.
We will be offering mobile monetary services through Wave Money,
a project that we jointly established with Yoma Bank, aiming to support Myanmars efforts to relieve poverty while pursuing an affordable
financial sector, he said.
Telenor has established a people-oriented company culture and has
both local and international staff from 19 countries.
Telenor Myanmar has international employees who have expertise
in Telenors operations in other Asian and European countries. We have
always tried to establish a corporate culture which is built on openness,
collaboration, empowerment and inspiration, said Mr Tellmann.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe
Myanmar Net
By using WBA-LE (Wireless Broadband Access-Licence Exempt),
Myanmar Net Company launched
its Wi-Fi internet network service
in Lanmadaw and Latha townships,
Yangon, in December 2015. The
service can be accessed at some
locations in Yankin township, Myanmar Plaza and in about 15 condos in
Yangon.
Myanmar Net is now seeking to
cover the whole of Yangon. It started
Net Core
SpectrumLife Companys Net Core
provides fibre optics and wireless
internet services.
Its website www.spectrumlife.net
mentions services for official web
pages as well.
The company guarantees a stable
internet service using fibre optics
and wireless options.
Rates for personal and business use differ. Wireless internet
service, with free installation, can be
accessed in Yangons Hledan, Tarmwe,
Botahtaung, Lanmadaw, Mayangone,
Thingangyun, Thaketa and Yankin
townships, and at Mindhamma and
Kyipwaryay housing complexes.
Besides Yangon, the service can
10
BY Nay Aung
Most middle-aged people in rural Myanmar still rely on it as they are not accustomed to mobile technology. Regular radio
listeners said they do not waste time in the
mornings. They continue with their daily
chores like taking a shower, having breakfast,
preparing for work or exercising while also
listening to their favourite radio programs.
Thaung Dan, who is 65, said, We cant
catch up with modern technologies. On the
other hand, a radio needs only two battery
cells. It works even when there is no electricity. While we are busy with other chores, the
radio would be there next to us just doing its
work of giving us information.
In the cities, where computers, smartphones and other high-tech audio-video
playthings abound, the humble radio still has
a place, even though it does not play as vital a
role as in the rural areas.
It is common to see senior citizens in cities
taking morning walks with their little transistors for company, while housewives in the
kitchen are glued to their radios for the early
morning news.
Radio sales are not as good as before. But
there are still buyers. People dont come to
repair their damaged radios any more. Instead, they tend to buy new ones. There are
no more radio repair shops, said a salesman
from an electronics store in Magwe.
Meanwhile, back under the neem tree,
Thaung Dans radio continues to bring weather forecasts: For the next two days, most
places in northern Myanmar could have more
rain, with heavy rain in Sagaing and Magwe
regions and Rakhine State.
Thaung Dan is happy. Farmers are being
told there will be rain in Magwe Region _ an
important piece of news that will help with
the farm work.
Translation by Kyawt Darly Lin
one are the days when the television set was called the idiot box. Now
theres smart TV, sometimes called
connected TV or hybrid TV. It has multiple
functions, unlike the conventional TV, with integrated internet and interactive Web features.
Like smart or Android hand phones, some
smart TVs can be equipped with any software.
They come in two models, one with a normal
system and the other with an operating system. With the normal system, only YouTube,
Facebook and browsers that are already
included can be accessed, whereas with an operating system, regular television technology
and an Android system, like the type found in
a smartphone, are included.
The latter type, which also allows the installation of required software in an inserted memory
Spoilt for choice. A customer has a hard time choosing a smart TV from various brands
available at Myo Thein Electronics Store in Mandalay. Photo: Si Thu Lwin
11
BY Myo Satt
Xiaomis Mi Drone
Xiaomi, one of Chinas most popular consumer electronics
brands, has launched its own drone, the Mi Drone or Mi UAV
(unmanned aerial vehicle). It is a multi-featured quadcopter
with 4K camera, which comes with a remote control and uses
the Mi smartphone as its viewfinder.
One of the hottest categories in consumer tech, drones are
now used widely in taking photos and videos. Mi Drone is
cheaper than other brands and has many features similar to
DJIs (D-Jing Innovations) Phantom series drones. It can also
be easily assembled and disassembled, and conveniently carried in a backpack, unlike other drones that have to be lugged
in separate boxes.
Its other features include automatic take-off and landing,
and return home, meaning it can automatically home in on
the remote control. It also has route and destination features.
The remote control is powered by a 5000mAh battery pack
and weighs just 452 grams, a load thats effortlessly managed
even on long flights. The remote even has a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable to link with a phone.
Mi Drone can fly up to 27 minutes on a single charge, thanks
to the strong battery pack. It is able to reach a height of 500
metres while being managed from 1 kilometre away.
It has a very good quality PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera. The
three-axis gimbal optical image stabilisation camera takes
stable pictures during a normal wind speed.
High quality videos and photos are possible thanks to the
16 megapixel 1/2.3 inches cmos (complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor) sensor. There are two options for video resolution, 1920x1080p (60 fps/30 fps) and 1280x720p (120 fps). A
memory card up to Micro SD Class 10 64GB can be inserted.
An English-version application is available at Mi Store Yangon. Even inexperienced drone flyers can connect and use it
easily because of its simple app interface. A Xiaomi Mi Drone
set costs K570,000 at Mi Store Yangon.
3D VR Box Headset
Virtual Reality (VR) creates a simulated environment and this
particular VR headset takes you to a 3D world.
A 360-degree movie, edited with high technology, can be
watched with the headset. For instance, one can see the pilots
view from a jet fighter, search for sharks and shipwrecks
underwater, or follow a guide touring wonders of the world on
YouTubes 360-degree video channel.
A person could play games by just making moves with the
head rather than working on the normal consoles. The head
moves would take one to hundreds of places, including space,
roller coasters or way down into the ocean deep. Numerous
games apps can be downloaded from Google Playstores VR
Games.
It would be possible to watch movies without 3D glasses
on and watch normal videos in cinemascope as in a movie
theatre.
There are fake VR headsets produced in various designs
and, depending on their quality, they can cause dizziness
and blurred vision. They also do not last long. The genuine
VR headsets use high quality ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene) plastic and contain two lenses that can be adjusted
and focused according to facial structure. For comfort, the area
touching a persons face has high-quality sponge affixed.
The VR headset has a sliding pocket to keep the phone intact. Both Android and iOS phones can be used, as well as devices up to the size of Samsung Note 3. It is priced at K15,000
and can be purchased from MAX online shopping.
Nintendo 3DS XL
Unlike previous Nintendo game consoles, this new Nintendo
3DS (3D version of dual screens) XL has 18 games, including
Pokemon Y, Pokemon X, Assassins Creed and Final Fantasy. Its a
bargain at its price, given that just purchasing a game itself
would cost K50,000. As it has a high-performing CPU (central
processing unit), it would not take long to download a game or
switch to other ones. The 3D game characters elicit a high-tech
resolution. Besides games, pictures and songs could be shared
easily through the incorporated Wi-Fi system.
Priced at K350,000, it is available at KoBeno Sony store at
Mahabandoola Park Road.
IT &
Telecommunications
Xiaomis Smart Kettle
This smart kettle is not like other normal kettles. It has Bluetooth 4.0 LE technology. It can be used by connecting a smartphone with Mi Home Application. The heat temperature can
be changed, using the phone anywhere, between 40C and 95C
and it can also be kept at a constant temperature from one to
12 hours as desired. Designed with two layers, it can be easily
disassembled and cleaned after usage.
The cable can be folded and neatly kept under the kettle. Because of a high-quality polypropylene plastic wrap and hollow
heat insulation layer, even if the temperature is 100C inside
12
Pokmon GO forever?
Pokmon Go has thrilled the world. Fans in Myanmar
have been quick to get into the act as well, to hunt
the digital creatures.
Pokmon Go players flock together at a stadium in Nebraska, US. Photos: Pokmon Gos Official Twitter Account
for a game application. According to SurveyMonkey, Pokmon Go broke the record of Candy
Crush with more than 21 million playing simultaneously on July 12 in the United States.
The Candy Crush record was slightly over 15
million.
At the time of its launch on July 6, active
users of Pokmon Go were so high that servers
went down. The problem was caused by gamers who accessed the app in devious ways
although it was not yet available officially.
Consequently, Niantic strictly regulated the
list of countries where the game could be officially played.
This decision also had an effect on
Nintendo and Pokmon fans in Myanmar. According to July 12 Pokmon Go social network
platforms, Myanmar, China, Korea (both
North and South) and Sudan were not lined
up for release. Later, on August 6, when the
company announced that the game was
released in nine ASEAN countries, Myanmar
was still left behind. But, surprise! That day,
some youngsters discovered they could play it
here in Myanmar!
The next day, on August 7, there were more
individuals or groups of Pokmon players on
the streets of Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi. Myanmar players have been active in
the past in games like Clash of Clans or Candy
Crush, but when they started playing Pokmon
Go, more people noticed them as they were
gaming in the real world.
Nay Aung Latt, 5-Networks TV Gameworms
program host, recounted the history of
Pokmon in Myanmar. Myanmar first noticed
Pokmon in early 2000. Pokmon games and
Pokmon: The First Movie was launched in
Japan, a year before they were in the US, in
November 1999. Pirated, but clear, copies
started to enter Myanmar soon after.
Players liked playing Pokmon on Game Boy
and Game Boy Color hand-held videogame
devices, but its popularity mounted when
its second generation, Pokmon Gold/Silver
and Crystal, could be played on a computer
Pokmon Go Plus
The Pokmon Go Plus is a small device that
allows you to enjoy Pokmon Go while youre
on the move and not looking at your smartphone. The device connects to a smartphone
via Bluetooth low energy and notifies you
about events in the game _ such as the appearance of a Pokmon nearby _ using an
LED and vibration.
Although Pokmon Go Plus was scheduled
to be launched together with Pokmon Go,
there has been no release date yet until now.
The company has been receiving pre-orders
since July 31.
The main purpose of Pokmon Go Plus is to
reduce the time of checking your phone screen.
By wearing the device, which looks like a Google
Maps location signal, on your wrist, it will flash
up and vibrate when you are in Pokstop range
or when Pokmon species are near you.
Players, who are also called trainers, can
catch Pokmon by just pressing the button on
their wrist-device and also take in the Pokstop items. Though you can catch species
that you had already caught before with
Pokmon Go Plus, you will still need to use
your phone to catch new Pokmon creatures
or to check your tallies. The device costs
US$34.99, but prices could vary depending on
location when it hits the market.
Birth of Pokmon
Nintendo is one of the largest videogame and entertainment companies based in Japan.
Nintendos Pokmon series became its most successful, next to its Mario game series.
An adventure version of Pokmon was first produced by Game Freak in 1995 for Game Boy,
a handheld device distributed by Nintendo. A Japanese anime version Pokmon television
series and movies also attracted similarly large audiences.
Pokmon was mainly created by Satoshi Tajiri, Game Freaks founder, and Ken Sugimori,
character designer of the Pokmon franchise. The game was based on Tajiris hobby of collecting insects. Sugimori designed the first generation of 151 Pokmon characters.
In a rare feat for the Pokmon franchise, unlike others, it first released the game and then
produced the movie and cartoon series. Pokmon derives its name from Pocket Monster.
There are 722 Pokmon species in the game series to date, but Pokmon Go has only 151 from
the original generation.