Indonesia's PT Telkom may have missed out on a Myanmar mobile license, but the company has secured its involvement in the nation's network modernization programs.
Telkom confirmed it has won the tender to manage Myanmar's international network connectivity.
“The trust given by the Myanmar government is the result of our team’s hard work on the ground in Myanmar,” Telkom president-director Arief Yahya said in a statement [Indonesian].
Telkom will help modernize Myanmar's international ICT facilities and guide the government's infrastructure development.
Arief said that the contract proves how serious Telkom is about tapping into the emerging Myanmar market
Telkom was one of the 91 applicants for one of two nationwide telecom licenses, but did not make the shortlist of 12.
The two licenses were last month awarded to consortia led by Telenor and Ooredoo, which have both pledged to roll out mobile networks providing over 80% geographic coverage within five years.
State-controlled Telkom has been pursuing international expansion, via subsidiary Telkom Internasional, to make up for strong competition at home. The company has recently expanded into East Timor, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, the Jakarta Globesaid.