Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Qatar telecoms firm Ooredoo in talks to sell its Myanmar unit

Qatar telecoms firm Ooredoo in talks to sell its Myanmar unit

Qatari telecommunications firm Ooredoo (ORDS.QA) is in talks to sell its Myanmar unit in what would mark the exit of the country's last foreign telecoms operator, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The people said Doha-based Ooredoo has informed Myanmar's Posts and Telecommunications Department (PTD), the country's regulator, of its intention to sell a unit that was Myanmar's third-biggest operator with nearly 15 million users in 2020, before the industry was disrupted by February 2021's military coup.

The main potential buyers for the company include Myanmar conglomerate Young Investment Group, Singapore-headquartered network infrastructure operator Campana Group, and telecoms company SkyNet, one person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Skynet is owned by Myanmar group Shwe Than Lwin.

The people said talks with the three suitors have not yet reached final stages.

Ooredoo did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

Calls to a spokesman for the Myanmar junta, to the PTD, Skynet and Young Investment Group were not answered. Campana Group said it had no immediate comment.

The sources, who declined to be named due to confidentiality constraints, did not put a value on the size of the potential sale.

Reuters could not immediately determine how much Ooredoo has invested in Myanmar. Ooredoo had 9 million customers in 2022, according to its earnings, down from 15 million in 2020, for which it reported revenue of about $330 million.

The telecoms sector in Myanmar has faced increased pressure since the military seized power in 2021, after previously having been one of Asia's fastest-growing markets. Mobile data remains shut down in part of the country, after nationwide restrictions on the internet throughout 2021.

Earlier this week, Myanmar's central bank ordered domestic companies and banks to suspend and reschedule repayment of foreign loans.

Ooredoo is the last majority foreign-owned telecoms company in Myanmar after Norway's Telenor (TEL.OL) withdrew from the country in March this year in a departure mired in difficulty.

Telenor's former unit in the country is now majority-owned by Myanmar firm Shwe Byain Phyu, with a minority stake purchased by Lebanese investment firm M1.

Other telecoms service providers in the country are MPT, a large state-backed operator, and Mytel, a venture between Myanmar's army and Viettel, owned by Vietnam's defence ministry.

Telenor told Reuters in 2021 it had to sell its operations to avoid European Union sanctions after "continued pressure" from the junta to activate intercept surveillance technology.

Reuters reported in July 2021 that a confidential PTD order had been issued banning senior foreign telecoms executives from leaving the country without permission. The travel ban was followed by a second order instructing telecoms firms to fully activate the intercept.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
×