Ooredoo Myanmar plans to introduce an LTE-A network – capable of supporting maximum download speeds of 500Mbps – early next year, reports Eleven Myanmar, citing the firm’s CEO Vikram Sinha. The Qatari-owned operator has partnered with equipment vendors Nokia and ZTE to carry out the network upgrade. Commenting on the firm’s existing 4G infrastructure, Sinha added: ‘We have invested more than USD2 billion and will significantly boost our 4G network throughout the second phase of the staged rollout, expanding coverage to 200 townships in Myanmar, including rural and underserved areas, by the end of this year.’ Ooredoo’s overall wireless network coverage currently reaches 85% of the population, although this figure is expected to rise to 92% by early 2019.
Earlier this year Ooredoo began upgrading its 4G LTE network with spectrum in the 1800MHz band, claiming in June 2017 that its 4G LTE network covered almost five million people with a presence in 52 townships across five cities, namely Yangon, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Bagan and Magwe.