Final Report Chapter 8 Project Implementation Plan exchange centres and wireless base stations. MPT now uses its own employees for all maintenance and inspection works and no longer outsources those tasks. This system resulted in an inability to offer a stable service as it was not always possible to respond properly to breakdowns. (2) Technical capability In Myanmar, the full-scale introduction of digital technology has taken place very recently. Due to the influence of economic sanctions, the country has had not many opportunities to be exposed to advanced technology, and therefore it cannot be said that the country has acquired sufficient information and knowledge of digital technology. In addition, the level of knowledge of equipment on the part of the field staff varies. As a result, the individual employees’ knowledge and memory can have a great effect on how equipment is designed, constructed, operated and maintained. For example, at the Long Distance Division, there are some engineers who have the technical capability to operate and maintain the existing construction equipment, but the number of such engineers is not adequate and there is a poor balance in the workloads of individual engineers. As described above, the introduction of new digital technology under this project will necessitate an improvement of the technical level of MPT employees. Below is a detailed description of the divisions/departments to be involved in the works to be implemented under this project. 1) Backbone network The backbone network connecting the 3 metropolitan cities is managed by the Long Distance Division (LD Division), which is generally in charge of the operation of networks including planning, design, construction supervision and maintenance. Under this project, a quantity of equipment and facilities based on new technology such as DWDM and router systems will be employed to construct the backbone network connecting the 3 metropolitan cities. Currently, the LD Division has a total of 957 employees. Of these employees, 351 are engaged in technical affairs and the remainder in administrative affairs. Of those working in technical affairs, the largest group, 337 employees, comprises microwave communications engineers, while there are only 14 fiber optics cable transmission engineers. At present, major technical works are undertaken in the following manner: ・ Construction specifications: In principle, this type of work is outsourced to independent vendors. Vendors conduct surveys in conjunction with MPT employees, while documents are prepared by the vendors. ・ Construction: Normally, the work is outsourced to suppliers and supervised by local MPT engineers. ・ Supervision/testing: A testing team is set up, with participation by local engineers and engineers from headquarters. ・ Maintenance/operation: Regular operation, supervision and maintenance are carried out by MPT employees. 8-3