Ooredoo keen to network share with Telenor in Myanmar

Ooredoo is said to be in talks with Telenor that could see network sharing between their two companies in Myanmar.

Both companies were recently awarded a mobile operator licence in the country to compete with the state-owned monopoly network.

"It’s a greenfield launch and we’re going to build the network in partnership with Telenor," Jeremy Sell, Ooredoo’s chief strategy officer, told a conference in the UAE.

"This has never been done before – we’re rolling out two greenfield networks and anything made of steel or concrete we want to share. There are no towers that are so strategic you can’t share them," he added.

Telenor has not commented on the claims.

Apart from cost savings from capital investment, the country is mired by out-dated regulations and it is expected that the networks could face a red-tape headache securing planning approvals for their towers.

Pooling their resources could dramatically reduce the problems, while adding pressure on local government officials to be less bureaucratic when approached by the joint operators.