Qatar-based operator Ooredoo is facing a religion-based boycott of its Myanmar telecom operations before the company has even launched services.
A group of nationalist Buddhist monks in Myanmar are publicly calling for a boycott of Ooredoo because the operator comes from a Muslim-majority country, the Myanmar Timesreported.
The call for a boycott is part of a growing Buddhist nationalist movement characterised by anti-Muslim sentiment, which has been brewing since the military junta allowed elections in 2011.
The report quotes the monk organising the protest campaign as stating that his group “condemns” the government for issuing a license to Ooredoo, and insisting that the nation's Buddhists should only buy things from shops owned by other Buddhists.
Ooredoo Myanmar has downplayed the threat posed by the boycott campaign, with a spokesperson stating that the company expects any suspicions about the company to dry up after the public observes the positive effects it aims to bring to the nation.
Ooredoo plans to launch 3G services in Myanmar during the third quarter, and has committed to providing 84% population coverage for both voice and data services within five years. Ooredoo and Norway-based Telenor both won nationwide telecom licenses during a hotly competitive tender process in 2013.
The CIA World Factbook estimates that around 89% of the Myanmar population is Buddhist, while Islam accounts for only around 4%.