didn’t own a mobile phone in 2016. The
main reason stated by the respondents
for the lack of ownership was that they
could not afford a handset (43%), followed closely by the perception that they
didn’t need one (41%). The proportion of
respondents who stated that they didn’t
need a phone increased since 2015, perhaps in the line with the notion that those
who aspired to buy a phone in the past
have already got connected.
Computer use was low in Myanmar;
only three percent of the population of 15
to 65-year-olds had ever used a computer
in 2016. Among these, an already small
group of computer users, only 16% had
accessed the Internet within the day.
Therefore, smartphones were the
primary mode of accessing the Internet.
The data showed that 78% of mobile
owners used smartphones in 2016. The
gender gap in smartphone ownership
among mobile owners was a mere one
percent. Smartphone ownership penetration in rural areas has increased however,
leading to a reduction in the urban-rural
gap in smartphone penetration was still
highest among the younger cohorts with
93% of mobile owners in the 15-24 agegroup owning smartphones, but older
cohorts are also catching up. However,
only 47% of mobile owners used mobile
data services.
Accessing Facebook was a common
use of the mobile phone, with 35% of
mobile owners claiming they use it; 21%
accessed it daily. Significant growth in the
use of phones for instant messaging and
making Internet calls has been observed
since 2015. Community news, weather
information and national news were the
top three information needs in Myanmar, consistent with the results in 2015.
Face-to-face conversations were the most
common mode of getting information,
followed by calls via mobile phones (15%)
and the Internet (9%). A shift from the use
of mobile phones to the Internet for this
purpose was observed between 2015 and
2016.
large improvement in social and familial
relations with the use of mobile phones.
Concerns on mobile access and use
remained, particularly regarding the costs
associated with mobile phones and the
risk of children being exposed to inappropriate content.
Digital skills among mobile handset
owners were low. Only a fifth of mobile
owners were able to search for information, install applications, create log-in
details, locate and adjust settings on an
application or post information online by
themselves. However, the ability to carry
out these tasks improved with the help of
another individual.
The ability to act or contact others in
the case of an emergency was the biggest
perceived improvement of using mobile
phones. Users also saw a comparatively
ICTs in Myanmar: 2016 15