Infrastructure
-
At least 10 Gbps is available in country, obtained
via the South-East-Asia/Middle East/Western
Europe Optical Submarine Cable (SEA-ME-WE 3).
Currently everything, landline and wireless, runs
through this single connection.33 All traffic runs
through the “international gateway” that is on
Prome road or PY1. This picture may change soon,
however, as the government looks at expanding to
SEA-ME-WE 4 as a means to bring tech business
to Myanmar and to boost speeds.34 Allegedly dark
cross border fiber cables exist (India, China,
Thailand, Laos) explained as “backup links”.35
-
While the government relies on the same backhaul
for its own access, the rest of its infrastructure is
completely independent from the rest of the
population.36 The difference in performance results
between the Ministry and other locations, shown
above, points to the impact of this separation.
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Myanmar has 3 ISPs: MPT (100 percent
government) and Yatanarpon Teleport (51 percent
government held, 49 percent privately held),37 and
Red-link Group, owned by family members of
government leaders.38
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IPv4 addresses are almost nonexistent, presenting
another significant limitation to further growth.
Static IPs are allocated only for elite organizations,
for example, banks.39
33
See International Telecommunication Union, Wireless broadband masterplan for the Union of Myanmar, http://www.itu.int/ITUD/tech/broadband networks/WirelessBDMasterPlans ASP/WBB MasterPlan Myanmar.pdf.
Htoo Aung, “Faster Internet on trial: deputy minister,” The Myanmar Times, August 27, 2012,
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/technology/466-faster-Internet-on-trial-deputy-minister.html; Htoo Aung, “MPT
considers new cable to boost telecoms,” The Myanmar Times, September 10, 2012,
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/technology/1365-mpt-considers-new-cable-to-boost-telecoms.html; International
Telecommunication Union, Wireless broadband masterplan for the Union of Myanmar, http://www.itu.int/ITUD/tech/broadband networks/WirelessBDMasterPlans ASP/WBB MasterPlan Myanmar.pdf
35
Source, Myanmar Computer Federation. See also “Myanmar builds more cross-border fiber optic links to improve communications
services,” Xinhua Net, December 3, 2012, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sci/2010-12/03/c 13633549.htm.
36
Observed during testing performed within government buildings.
37
Source, Myanmar Computer Federation.
38
See “The Internet in Burma (1998-2009),” Mizzama, Dec. 24, 2009, http://www.mizzima.com/research/3202-the-internet-in-burma1998-2009-.html; Wai Moe and David Paquette, “The Coming Cyber War,” The Irrawaddy, Vol. 18, No. 3, March 2010,
http://www2.irrawaddy.org/print article.php?art id=17923.
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