Why 4G Might Not be Coming In Myanmar, for Some Time

The government of Myanmar says it will release spectrum for 4G networks “as soon as operators are ready to launch,” according to U Thaung Tin, Communication Ministry deputy minister. 

That apparently unremarkable pledge has a context.

End user demand, device costs and business strategies might all be contributing to less than robust immediate pressure to build 4G networks at a time when a few brand-new 3G networks have just been built, nationwide.

Reluctance to build yet another “next generation” network before investments in the present network can be amortized is not an unusual sentiment, especially if the present network has itself only been recently built, as is the case in Myanmar.

So the business implications are clear enough. Mobile operators who have just build brand-new 3G networks will not be in a hurry to invest again in a 4G network that likely would simply cannibalize customers on the 3G networks.