Timeline of Myanmar Communications

1861 - First telegraph lines erected in Myanmar

1884 - First telephone service in Myanmar, with 1300 telephone lines in Yangon

1937 - 50 towns linked for telephone and telegraph service

early 1970s - 22,000 telephones in Myanmar, about 17,400 of which are in Yangon

1978 - Satellite earth station allows direction contact to six countries

1987 - 73,203 telephones in Myanmar

1993 - First cellular mobile system started in Yangon

1997 - Mobile capacity “fully occupied” with 7000 mobile subscribers in Yangon and 1000 in Mandalay

1997 - MPT offers internet email service to 138 leased line users and 5510 dialup users in Yangon and Mandalay

2000 - SEA-ME-WE 3 undersea internet cable complete

2005 - 482,128 telephones in Myanmar

2013 - Low-cost 1500 Kyats SIM cards begin to be distributed by lucky draw

2014 - Telenor, Ooredoo given licences to provide mobile phone services country-wide

2015 - Myanmar became the world's fourth fastest-growing mobile market with penetration rate of 54.6% (By Ericsson)

2017 - MyTel officially became the 4th operator in Myanmar