5/23/22, 2:07 AM Stay or go? Telenor’s Myanmar dilemma | Frontier Myanmar ISSUES SIGN UP NOW A man uses the internet with a mobile phone in front of a sign advertising Telenor in Yangon on September 26, 2014, shortly after the Norwegian operator launched its network. (AFP) Stay or go? Telenor’s Myanmar dilemma JULY 8, 2021    Telenor built a highly successful business in Myanmar but now finds itself forced to shut down the internet and share user data with a regime intent on crushing all opposition. By EMILIE EKEBERG and FRONTIER When Telenor secured a highly prized mobile operator licence in Myanmar in 2013, the Norwegian telecom giant announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars – a big vote of confidence in the country’s political and economic reforms. Eight years on, the mood is very different. Telenor, which says it places a high value on human rights and responsible business practices, finds itself complicit in efforts to restrict internet access and target regime opponents. As a result, the company is reportedly thinking of selling its Myanmar business and leaving the country. Since the February 1 coup, Telenor has been forced to block access to social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which people were using to organise protests and share footage of human rights abuses. In mid-March it was also ordered to cut internet access to its 18 million mobile customers, who can now only access a limited number of junta-approved services and applications through what’s known as whitelisting. After initially informing the world about directives it was receiving from the generals, Telenor has since been silencedby the regime. It also paid an annual licence fee to the junta, despite opposition activists urging individuals and businesses to halt payments in the wake of the coup. Less well known is that the regime also requires Telenor to share data on its users, such as their home addresses and call history. This was confirmed by sources in the Myanmar Police Force and the telecom industry interviewed by Frontier and Danish investigative news organisation Danwatch, with whom Frontier has partnered for this report. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/stay-or-go-telenors-myanmar-dilemma/ 1/9