A fourth operator, Myanmar National Tele & Communications operating under the brand name Mytel, was granted a license in January 2017. 24 Mytel will reportedly make use of existing infrastructure currently owned or used by sister company MECTel. Mytel is owned by the Vietnamese-military controlled company Viettel, 25 26 a consortium of 11 local firms, 27 willing to apply for Fourth Telecom Operator Licence in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,” press release, March 25, 2016, http://bit.ly/2fBTGju. and Star High Public Company under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense. 28 Star High Public Company is operated by the military-run conglomerate Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), which was subjected to financial sanctions by the United States Treasury for its role in supporting repression by the military junta between 2008 and 2016. 29 MEC also owns MECTel. 30 The operator was selected to apply for a license before the new civilian-led government took over in April 2016. Officials said the company was chosen because it could offer capital, access to 1,000 towers and more than 13,000 kilometers of fiber, among other telecoms assets. However, the US$300 million license fee was significantly lower than payments made by the other two foreign firms, creating the appearance of an uneven playing field. Telenor paid US$500 million and local news reports said Qatar’s Ooredoo spent more than US$1 billion for their respective licenses. 31 RedLink, a WIMAX internet provider with connections to a military official in the previous government, officially ceased activity after 9 years in March 2017, though some observers said it was rebranding. It had been operating on frequency it did not officially own. 32 With a market crowded with licensees, experts predict that other companies that may soon be put out of business. 33 Regulatory Bodies The Posts and Telecommunications Department regulates Myanmar’s telecommunications industry under the MCIT. Under the junta, the MCIT and intelligence agencies implemented arbitrary and ad hoc censorship decisions. Upon taking power in 2016, the new NLD administration merged the MCIT with the Ministry