4/4/22, 12:17 PM EXCLUSIVE Myanmar junta backs Telenor unit sale after buyer M1 pairs with local firm - sources | Reuters In November, Reuters reported that several Myanmar firms had expressed an interest in buying Telenor Myanmar’s operations and that M1 had held talks with Shwe Byain Phyu about a partnership. The two firms made a joint proposal to take over the Telenor unit that was accepted by the junta leadership a month later, the industry sources said. Two of the sources said the new venture would be named Atom. SURVEILLANCE CONCERNS Activists have expressed concerns that Telenor's exit could deepen the junta's surveillance of the population. It is one of four telecom operators in Myanmar, alongside Qatar's Ooredoo , statebacked MPT and Mytel, which is part-owned by a military-linked company. Activist group Justice for Myanmar called on Telenor on Friday to suspend the sale. "The fact that Shwe Byain Phyu is a buyer, a conglomerate with known links to the Myanmar military, deepens the risk to Myanmar people, whose personal data is exposed through the sale," spokesperson Yadanar Maung told Reuters. Telenor has said its handover to a new buyer would include all assets, including call data records, in accordance with licence obligations. Reuters found last year telecom and internet service providers had been secretly ordered in the months before the coup to install intercept technology that would allow the army to eavesdrop on the communications of citizens. Telenor said in September it was pulling out of the country to avoid European Union sanctions after “continued pressure” from the junta to activate the technology. Since the Feb. 1 coup, Myanmar security forces have killed more than 1,400 people and arrested thousands to try to crush opposition, the non-governmental organisation Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said. The junta disputes the casualty figures. The military seized power alleging widespread fraud in a November 2020 election won by a landslide by the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. International and local monitoring groups said there were no major irregularities with the vote. The junta has imposed nationwide and regional shutdowns of mobile data, making it harder for democracy activists to organise protests. It also issued a confidential order in July restricting senior foreign telecom executives from leaving the country without permission. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register My View Following Saved https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/exclusive-myanmar-junta-backs-telenor-unit-sale-after-buyer-m1-pairs-with-local-2022-01-21/ 3/15