report on Myanmar in 2019 by Hootsuite identified that this number had grown to 21m users by the beginning of 2019, see “Digital 2019: Myanmar,” Datareportal, accessed October 2, 2019, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2019-myanmar. 39 percent of the population and a growth of 3m persons over the course of the year. 2 “Ooredoo Myanmar and MPT step up 4G offerings,” Developing Telecoms, June 6, 2017, https://www.developingtelecoms.com/tech/wireless-networks/7110-ooredoo-myanmar-and-mpt-stepup-4g-offerings.html. “Myanmar to accelerate 5G development despite risks,” Eleven Media Group, December 19, 2018, https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/myanmar-to-accelerate-5g-development-despite-risks. One index rates the percentage of the population using the internet as 33.1 percent in 2019 as compared to 51.8 percent for the Asia region, see “Internet Usage in Asia,” Internet World Stats, accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm; Others rate Myanmar as 39 percent, South-East Asia as 63 percent, and Asia as 52 percent, see “The Global State of Digital in 2019 Report,” Hootsuite, accessed October 2, 2019, https://hootsuite.com/pages/digital-in-2019. 5 Compared to other countries Myanmar has remained the same over the past year, see “Speedtest Global Index,” Speedtest, accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.speedtest.net/globalindex/republic-of-the-union-of-myanmar. In 2017, international internet bandwidth per Internet user was 6,426 (Bit/s) compared to 48,000 for Asia Pacific, and 6,000 for LDCs, see “ICT Development Index 2017,” International Telecommunications Union, http://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html#idi2017economycard-tab&MMR. 6 “Republic of the Union of Myanmar,”Speedtest Global Index, Speedtest, https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/republic-of-the-union-of-myanmar. 7 “ICT Development Index 2017,” International Telecommunications Union, http://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html#idi2017economycard-tab&MMR. 8 “Digital landscape rapidly changing,” Myanmar Times, January 2, 2019, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/digital-landscape-rapidly-changing.html. 9 "GSMA Intelligence,” accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/markets/2274/dashboard/; “Digital 2019: Myanmar,” Datareportal, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital2019-myanmar. 10 Lower than Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, but the same as Vietnam, see “Realising Digital Myanmar,” Telenor, last modified February 6, 2018, https://www.telenor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Telenor-Realising-Digital-Myanmar-Report-06-February.pdf. 11 Subscribers number 105% of the population size, as people often have multiple SIM cards, see "GSMA Intelligence,” accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/markets/2274/dashboard/; “The Global State of Digital in 2019 Report,” Hootsuite, https://hootsuite.com/pages/digital-in-2019; “Realising Digital Myanmar,” Telenor, last modified February 6, 2018, https://www.telenor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Telenor-Realising-Digital-Myanmar-Report-06-February.pdf; 50% is the number of unique owners, which means that each unique owner owns two sim cards on average. This has increased from about 34% in 2016, see “ICT Development Index 2017,” International Telecommunications Union, http://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html#idi2017economycard-tab&MMR. 12 Michael Peel, “Myanmar blackouts recall darker days,” Financial Times, June 6, 2017, https://www.ft.com/content/6b8009d6-4691-11e7-8519-9f94ee97d996. 13 “Switzerland Joins EU in Sanctioning Myanmar’s Military Generals,” The Irrawaddy, October 18, 2018, https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/switzerland-joins-eu-in-sanctioningmyanmars-military-generals.html. 14 Thomas Kean, “Myanmar’s broadband price war,” Frontier Myanmar, April 23, 2018, https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/myanmars-broadband-price-war. 15 The average cost of data in Myanmar is comparatively low however when compared to other countries on the cheapest data packages available Myanmar is comparatively expensive. For example, the average cost of 1 GB is $1.49 in Cambodia and $0.87 in Myanmar, but in Cambodia data packages can reduce that to $0.17 per 1 GB whereas in Myanmar the cheapest package is $0.65, see “Worldwide mobile data pricing: The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 230 countries,” Cable, https://www.cable.co.uk/mobiles/worldwide-data-pricing/. 16 The average broadband cost has dropped in Yangon from $72.31 per month in 2017 to $37.56 in 2018, see “Compare our best broadband deals,” Cable, https://www.cable.co.uk/broadband/deals/worldwide-price-comparison/#regions. 17 “Realising Digital Myanmar,” Telenor, last modified February 6, 2018, https://www.telenor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Telenor-Realising-Digital-Myanmar-Report-06-February.pdf. 18 Thiha Ko Ko, “Govt draft roadmap to develop and support digital economy in Myanmar,” Myanmar Times, March 14, 2019, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/govt-draft-roadmapdevelop-and-support-digital-economy-myanmar.html; “Myanmar Digital Economy Roadmap,” Digital Economy Development Committee, last modified February, 26, 2019, https://www.mopf.gov.mm/sites/default/files/RoadMap%20for%20Websites.pdf. 19 “Vice President U Henry Van Thio discusses digital economy development,” Official Website of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar President Office, January 12, 2019, http://www.president-office.gov.mm/en/?q=briefing-room/news/2019/01/12/id-9234. 20 5.6GB as compared to 1.2GB, see “Realising Digital Myanmar,” Telenor, last modified February 6, 2018, https://www.telenor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Telenor-Realising-DigitalMyanmar-Report-06-February.pdf. 21 The percentage of households with a computer was 13.64 percent in 2017, 11 percent in 2016, compared to 37.8 percent on average for the Asia Pacific region. The percentage of households with internet access was 24.38 percent in 2017, 20 percent in 2016, compared to an average of 45.5 percent for the Asia Pacific region, see “ICT Development Index 2017,” International Telecommunications Union, http://www.itu.int/net4/ITU-D/idi/2017/index.html#idi2017economycard-tab&MMR. 22 Aung Kyaw Nyunt, “Government to collect tax to fund telecoms in rural areas,” Myanmar Times, April 24, 2018, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/government-collect-tax-fund-telecomsrural-areas.html. 23 Aung Kyaw Nyunt, “Government to collect tax to fund telecoms in rural areas,” Myanmar Times, April 24, 2018, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/government-collect-tax-fund-telecomsrural-areas.html. 24 Saw Yi Nanda, “MyTel aims to double subscribers,” Myanmar Times, February 14, 2019, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/mytel-aims-double-subscribers.html. 25 Posts and Telecommunications Department, Facebook post, March 19, 2019, https://www.facebook.com/1028167667298400/posts/2112790522169437?sfns=mo. 26 In 2019, women were 15 percent less likely than men to own a mobile phone. Only 35 percent of women had used the internet on their mobile phone, see “The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019,” Mobile for Development, GSMA, last modified March 11, 2019, https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/resources/mobile-gender-gap-report-2019/; Htet Shine, “Key findings: Myanmar Living Conditions Survey 2017,” Myanmar Times, July 5, 2018, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/key-findings-myanmar-living-conditions-survey-2017.html; “Myanmar Landscaping Report,” Kantar Public Myanmar and SPRING Accelerator, October 2018, http://www.kantar.com/public/download/documents/243/Myanmar-girl-landscaping-report-FINALOctober-2018.pdf. 27 “ICT Facts and Figures 2017,” International Telecommunications Union, last modified August 3, 2017, https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2017.pdf. 28 “The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019,” Mobile for Development, GSMA, last modified March 11, 2019, https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/resources/mobile-gender-gap3 4 report-2019/. “Telenor holds 5th Sustainable Business Briefing,” Telenor, March 30, 2018, https://www.telenor.com.mm/en/article/telenor-holds-5th-sustainable-business-briefing. Telenor reported that there were no government requests for network shutdowns in 2018, see “Telenor Myanmar 6th Annual Sustainable Business Briefing 2019,” About Us, Telenor, https://www.telenor.com.mm/en/about/sustainability. 31 An online campaign was started to monitor and track the shutdown, see Facebook account fb.com/stopinternetshutdownmm, https://www.facebook.com/StopInternetShutDownMM/; “Myanmar: Internet Shutdown Risks Lives,” Human Rights Watch, June 28, 2019, https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/06/28/myanmar-internet-shutdown-risks-lives. 32 Thomas Kean, “Myanmar’s broadband price war,” Frontier Myanmar, April 23, 2018, https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/myanmars-broadband-price-war. 33 Dylan Bushell-Embling, “Myanmar to use Intelsat 39 satellite,” Telecomasia.net, June 4, 2018, https://www.telecomasia.net/content/myanmar-use-intelsat-39-satellite. 34 “Myanmar to accelerate 5G development despite risks,” Eleven Media Group, December 19, 2018, https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/myanmar-to-accelerate-5g-development-despite-risks. 35 “Campana Announces Commercial Availability of International Gateway Services via its Trans-ASEAN Network,” Ein Presswire, December 15, 2017, https://www.einpresswire.com/article/421197787/campana-announces-commercial-availability-of-international-gateway-services-via-its-trans-asean-network. 36 Thomas Kean, “Myanmar’s broadband price war,” Frontier Myanmar, April 23, 2018, https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/myanmars-broadband-price-war; Paul Mah, “Campana Group, Telin Singapore to connect Singapore and Myanmar,” Data Center Dynamics, September 24, 2018, https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/news/campana-group-telin-singapore-enhanceconnectivity-between-singapore-and-myanmar/. 37 “Myanmar to launch satellite in 2019,” Myanmar Times, October 23, 2017, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-launch-satellite-2019.html 38 Chester Toh and Jainil Bhandari, “Myanmar: The Legal Landscape,” Getting the Deal Through, November 2018, https://gettingthedealthrough.com/country-focus/article/6460/myanmar29 30 legal-landscape. “MCRB provides initial comments to government on the draft cybersecurity framework, and discusses cybersecurity with MPs,” Myanmar Center for Responsible Business, February 4, 2019, https://www.myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org/news/draft-cybersecurity-framework.html; Htoo Thant, “Japan helps Myanmar to enact cybersecurity law,” Myanmar Times, January 15, 2019, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/japan-helps-myanmar-enact-cybersecurity-law.html. 40 Thomas Kean, “Myanmar’s broadband price war,” Frontier Myanmar, April 23, 2018, https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/myanmars-broadband-price-war. 41 Mytel has announced its intention to invest $1.5billion to build a 4G network and 7,200 towers, see “Myanmar $G newcomers ready to roll,” Mobile World Live, February 14, 2018, https://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news/myanmar-4g-newcomers-ready-to-roll/; Telenor, in comparison, had 7,800 towers in 2017, see “Annual Report 2017,” Telenor, https://www.telenor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Appendix-1-Telenor-Annual-Report-2017.pdf. 42 MyTel is jointly owned by Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public Co Ltd (23 percent), Star High Public Co Ltd (28 percent), and Viettel Global (49 percent). Star High is a subsidiary of the military-run Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC). Viettel Global is owned by the Vietnam Ministry of Defense, see Kyaw Phone Kyaw, “Fourth telco MyTel to start selling SIM cards in March,” Myanmar Times, February 14, 2018, https://www.mmtimes.com/news/fourth-telco-mytel-start-selling-sim-cards-march.html. 43 “Treasury Designates Burmese State-Owned Enterprises,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, press release, July 29, 2008, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/pressreleases/Pages/hp1105.aspx; Shibani Mahtani and Richard C. Paddock “‘Cronies’ of Former Myanmar Regime Thrive Despite U.S. Blacklist,” Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/cronies-of-former-myanmar-regime-thrive-despite-u-s-blacklist-1439433052; Michael Peel, “Myanmar: the military-commercial complex,“ February 1, 2017, https://www.ft.com/content/c6fe7dce-d26a-11e6-b06b-680c49b4b4c0. 44 Aung Kyaw Nyunt, “Myanmar’s fourth telco gets licence at last,” Myanmar Times, January 13, 2017, https://www.mmtimes.com/business/technology/24533-myanmar-s-fourth-telco-getslicence-at-last.html. 45 San Yamin Aung, “Launch of Army-Backed Mytel Draws Wary Welcome,” The Irrawaddy, June 14, 2018, https://www.irrawaddy.com/business/launch-army-backed-mytel-draws-wary39 welcome.html. 46 Simon Marks, “EU weighs new sanctions against Myanmar over Rohingya,” Politico, August 9, 2018, https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-weighs-new-sanctions-against-myanmar-over- rohingya/. 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