Telenor Myanmar and local non-profit Myanmar ICT Development Organization (MIDO) will set up and run about 200 Community Information Centre (CIC) in Myanmar.
The centres aim to foster user adoption of mobile services and internet in rural areas and improving digital literacy through nationwide initiatives for schoolchildren, Telenor said.
The centres will be open to anyone in the local community, from farmers to youth and local villagers.
U Nay Phone Latt, executive director, MIDO, said: “The partnership will provide a connection from rural communities throughout Myanmar to the outside world, and help spread knowledge to people who have previously not experienced connectivity or had easy to access to information.
The initial pilot project will establish five Community Information Centres by the end of 2014 in Ayeyarwady, Kayin, Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Bago.
“Setting up the CICs is just the beginning – going forward we also want to offer training and education,” U Nay Phone Latt added.
The CICs will be run local social entrepreneurs who are selected by MIDO and Telenor, and the telecoms company will provide all internet connectivity and equipment.
The marketing of the CIC centres will be done jointly by the entrepreneurs and Telenor Myanmar.
Petter Furberg, CEO of Telenor Myanmar, said at the signing: “Telenor is committed to contributing to the communities in markets where it operates. Telenor Myanmar will build on this strong track record when working with the government and relevant organisations to develop a corporate responsibility and community engagement programme in Myanmar.”
Telenor said its mobile network in Myanmar will be launched in September and is expected to cover 90 percent of the population within five years.
The Myanmar government is implementing a plan to increase the telephone density to 50 percent by 2014-15 and 80 percent by 2015-16.
The number of internet users in the country reached 2.9 million as of May in the fiscal year 2014-15, according to official figures.
