Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and the even poorer state of many clapped-out vehicles and you have a recipe for poten-
tial disaster.
Telephone
Local Calls
Most business cards in Myanmar list a couple of phone numbers, as lines frequently go
dead and calls just don't go through.
Local call stands - as part of a shop, or sometimes just a table with a phone or two on a
sidewalk - are marked by a drawing of a phone and can be found all over Myanmar. A
local call should be K100 per minute.
To dial long distance within Myanmar, dial the area code (including the '0') and the num-
ber.
A useful resource is the Myanmar Yellow Pages (
www.myanmaryellowpages.biz
)
.
International Calls
Internet cafes using Skype and other VOI protocols, official telephone (call) centres and
top-end hotels are sometimes the only way to call overseas, though sometimes this can
be done on the street through vendors offering use of their mobile phones.
Generally, it costs about $5 per minute to call Australia or Europe and $6 per minute to
phone North America.
To call Myanmar from abroad, dial your country's international access code, then 95
(Myanmar's country code), the area code (minus the '0'), and the five- or six-digit number.
Mobile Phones
Mobile phone numbers begin with 09.
The mobile phone industry in Myanmar is rapidly changing. In June 2013 the govern-
ment awarded Telenor Mobile Communications of Norway and Ooredoo of Qatar 15-year
concessions to create new mobile phone networks. These will start to come online in
2014, expanding the range and quality of mobile communications in the country as well as
impacting the cost of SIMs and calls.
At the time of research, international roaming for mobile phones was limited to a hand-
ful of Asian networks. Temporary local SIM cards costing K20,000 and lasting one month
before expiring had been in circulation during 2013 but were sold out by August of that
year. Permanent SIM cards costing K1700 had also been available via lottery. Top-up
cards for calls come in amounts of K5000 and K10,000.