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Spectrum sell-off was expected to take place before the end of 2016.
Myanmar has pushed back the auction of 1800-MHz frequencies until next year, it emerged on Friday.
The spectrum was expected to be sold off before the end of 2016, but the Myanmar Times reports, citing an official at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, that the auction will take place in March 2017.
U Myo Swe, deputy director of the Ministry’s Posts and Telecommunications Department said the 1800 MHz band will be distributed equally among the country’s operators.
Myanmar is currently home to three players: Ooredoo, Telenor, and state-owned MPT. A fourth, owned by a consortium of local businesses, the military, and Vietnam-based Viettel, is expected to launch services next year; however, it is unclear whether the company will be included in the 1800-MHz auction.
All three of Myanmar’s current telcos have begun offering 4G services in select areas, and one of those telcos sees 1800-MHz spectrum as vital to improving 4G coverage.
"4G [in Myanmar] is of limited capacity by the standards of what you will see in other markets where you have more spectrum," said Lars Erik Telleman, who became CEO of Telenor’s Myanmar business in August, in Friday’s Myanmar Times report.
"With 1800-MHz you have a chance to provide the Myanmar consumers with a real 4G experience, and that’s the case for all operators," he said.
