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Bharti Airtel , the third-largest phone company in the world by subscriber base, has just activated an international fibre optic cable link between India and Myanmar to tap into a sizeable data revenue opportunity in the neighbouring country where people are increasingly spending on smartphones to go online.
The Sunil Mittal-founded telco has invested an undisclosed sum in a 6500 rkm (route kms) terrestrial fibre-optic cable link to boost internet speeds in Myanmar, which is seeing a sharp upsurge in demand for high-speed data services both at the retail and enterprise consumer levels. The cable link will be connected to Airtel ’s landing stations in Chennai and Mumbai.
“The terrestrial cable link is a strategic fibre asset for Airtel in the Saarc region, which will enable the company to offer robust end-to-end connectivity solutions in Myanmar, which is seeing rapid uptake of digital services as one of the last growth frontiers in Asia,” Ajay Chitkara, the company’s director & CEO (global voice & data business) told ET.
The Indo-Myanmar link, he said, would also enable Airtel to meet capacity requirements of enterprise customers in the region by leveraging its vast global network, adding that Myanmar presents “a massive business growth and revenue opportunity” for the company as the country is seeing robust growth of internet and telecom services.
International Data Corporation (IDC) in a recent note said bulk of the consumer spends in Myanmar this year have been on mobile devices. In fact, liberalisation of Myanmar’s telecoms industry is often cited by industry experts as an example of successful economic reforms after the military ceded power five years ago.
Airtel’s India-Myanmar cable link has gone live at a time when the Myanmar government is slated to shortly award a fourth mobile services licence. Airtel, which failed to win a mobile services permit in the country three years ago, did not reply to ET’s query on whether it would put in a fresh application in the near future.
At present, Norway’s Telenor, Qatar’s Ooredoo and state-owned Myanmar Post & Telecommunications (MPT) operate mobile services in Myanmar.
The Myanmar link is Airtel’s third international cable hook-up in the Saarc region, having already deployed similar links with Bangladesh and Nepal. The larger objective behind Airtel’s global connectivity infrastructure-linked investments is also part of its endeavor to position India as a leading IP hub in South Asia, said Chitkara.
Sunil Mittal-driven Bharti Airtel starts India-Myanmar fibre-optic link, Telecom News, ET Telecom
The Sunil Mittal-founded telco has invested an undisclosed sum in a 6500 rkm (route kms) terrestrial fibre-optic cable link to boost internet speeds in Myanmar, which is seeing a sharp upsurge in demand for high-speed data services both at the retail and enterprise consumer levels. The cable link will be connected to Airtel ’s landing stations in Chennai and Mumbai.
“The terrestrial cable link is a strategic fibre asset for Airtel in the Saarc region, which will enable the company to offer robust end-to-end connectivity solutions in Myanmar, which is seeing rapid uptake of digital services as one of the last growth frontiers in Asia,” Ajay Chitkara, the company’s director & CEO (global voice & data business) told ET.
The Indo-Myanmar link, he said, would also enable Airtel to meet capacity requirements of enterprise customers in the region by leveraging its vast global network, adding that Myanmar presents “a massive business growth and revenue opportunity” for the company as the country is seeing robust growth of internet and telecom services.
International Data Corporation (IDC) in a recent note said bulk of the consumer spends in Myanmar this year have been on mobile devices. In fact, liberalisation of Myanmar’s telecoms industry is often cited by industry experts as an example of successful economic reforms after the military ceded power five years ago.
Airtel’s India-Myanmar cable link has gone live at a time when the Myanmar government is slated to shortly award a fourth mobile services licence. Airtel, which failed to win a mobile services permit in the country three years ago, did not reply to ET’s query on whether it would put in a fresh application in the near future.
At present, Norway’s Telenor, Qatar’s Ooredoo and state-owned Myanmar Post & Telecommunications (MPT) operate mobile services in Myanmar.
The Myanmar link is Airtel’s third international cable hook-up in the Saarc region, having already deployed similar links with Bangladesh and Nepal. The larger objective behind Airtel’s global connectivity infrastructure-linked investments is also part of its endeavor to position India as a leading IP hub in South Asia, said Chitkara.
Sunil Mittal-driven Bharti Airtel starts India-Myanmar fibre-optic link, Telecom News, ET Telecom
