Denis O’Brien’s Digicel has been confirmed as one of 12 telecoms companies pre-cleared to vie for two mobile phone operators licences in Burma.
The country currently wallows at the bottom of the global list of mobile penetration at less than 10 per cent of the market.
A final decision will be made by a tender evaluation and selection committee and is expected in June.
The Digicel consortium includes the Digicel Group itself, Quantum Strategic Partners Ltd and the Yoma Strategic Holdings Group.
Given the extreme lack of mobile coverage in the country – which has only recently come in from the international wilderness – it represents a valuable opportunity for whichever two companies are ultimately successful in their bids.
The 12 applicants who have been given the go-ahead for the final tender round will submit their plans by June 3rd.
The committee is due to announce the winners on June 27th. They will receive a 15-year licence.
Aside from Mr O'Brien, the Digicel bid is associated with the billionaire businessman and speculator George Soros and Serge Pun, one of the most successful businessmen in Burma.
