Publication: Digital and Telecom: Myanmar Infrastructure Monitoring
Date
2022-03-31
ISSN
Published
2022-03-31
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Myanmar has experienced a series of
total and partial internet shutdowns since the military coup
in February 2021. These restrictions have varied in
intensity across the country and over time, ranging from the
complete shutdown of all wireless broadband services and
nightly shutdowns of fixed line services between February
and April 2021, followed by limited access to a whitelist of
websites and services and intermittent subnational shutdowns
starting in May 2021. The restrictions on internet access
have had a profound impact on investments in the sector,
subsequently affecting the growth of digital infrastructure
and digitally enabled services in Myanmar. Internet
restrictions have also had important implications on
household welfare, firm operations, and growth of the
digital economy in Myanmar. New regulations, market exit by
private sector providers, and continued internet
restrictions threaten to reverse the progress made over the
last decade. Continued internet restrictions can lead to
further restraint of online economic activity and closure of
many young digital start-ups that rely on consistent,
reliable, and widespread internet adoption to reach markets.
Citation
“World Bank. 2022. Digital and Telecom: Myanmar Infrastructure Monitoring. © Washington, DC: World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37427 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”