SIM cards will be sold at a dramatically reduced price of 1,500 kyats (US$2US) in Burma, making mobile phones affordable for the general population for the very first time
After much anticipation, state-owned television announced on April 3 that new SIM cards for CDMA and WCDMA networks will be sold for 1,500 kyats (US$2) starting from April 24, 2013. Details on SIM cards for GSM networks will be announced next month, Myanma Post and Telecommunications (MPT) said.
This represents a dramatic change for Burma (which is officially known as Myanmar). Five years ago it cost US$2,000 to buy a postpaid SIM card. Since the early days of country’s transition towards democracy, the cost of using mobile phones has been a controversial topic. Earlier this year in January, the minister of MPT was forced to resign following an alleged disagreement on whether to reduce the existing SIM card price of 100,000 kyats (US$125). Several staff from MPT and private companies involved were investigated for corruption.
350,000 SIM cards will be divided among states and divisions on a monthly basis. In order to prevent the common practice of transferring SIM card ownership, the cards will will be disabled if they are not used in the first 15 days after purchase.Certain rules apply to the new SIM cards, which come with 300 kyats (about US$0.40) talk time value. A 5,000 kyats (about US$6) top-up card must be bought within the first 15 daysand at least 2,500 kyats (about US$3) must be spent on outgoing calls every month after that. Incoming calls will be free of charge.
Certain rules apply to the new SIM cards, which come with 300 kyats (about US$0.40) talk time value. A 5,000 kyats (about US$6) top-up card must be bought within the first 15 daysand at least 2,500 kyats (about US$3) must be spent on outgoing calls every month after that. Incoming calls will be free of charge.
There are additional problems for public since many smartphones do not provide facilities for CDMA networks. Despite fulfilling their demands for low-cost SIM cards, cheaper and substandard China-made handsets ready for CDMA networks will apparently be the only choice for new SIM card users.
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