A carrier-neutral international cable that will connect Myanmar to Thailand and Malaysia is be operational by 2017. he story does not say anything about SEA-ME-WE 5, scheduled to be operational in 2016, and the AAE-1 cable scheduled for completion in Q4 2016. Nor is any mention made of the already built new links to China. Could this be because all the above except for SEA-ME-WE 5 are essentially cables that connect China to the world, which just happen to go through Myanmar?
Any way, a carrier-neutral cable is always a good thing.
Currently the only publicly leasable international fiber optic connections out of Burma are governed by the state-owned operator Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). The MPT monopoly means that the cost for bandwidth in Myanmar is seven to ten times higher than in Singapore and is said to be double that of neighbouring Thailand.
By contrast, the MYTHIC cable will be carrier-neutral, thus will not be owned by an individual operator and will not privilege any local telecommunication companies. The cable will ot only increase capacity for the country, but bring much-needed stability, and should in time significantly lower the high cost of the Internet for local consumers.
However, analysts caution that how the local telecommunications companies and internet service providers choose to leverage lower prices will play a big role in how much and how quickly savings will filter down to consumers. Furthermore, in order for local users to benefit from increased international capacity, the local domestic fiber infrastructure will also need to be equipped to handle increased traffic. Whether it can in its present condition remains to be seen.
Comments are closed.