Myanmar to get free Wikipedia access via new telecom license
INTRODUCTION
Myanmar has seen some dramatic changes following political reform in 2010, one of them being greater access to the rest of the world. The Wikimedia Foundation has recognized this, and as part of its Wikipedia Zero efforts is bringing free mobile access to Wikipedia to the Asian country. The foundation is working with Norway-based carrier Telenor to push the project through. Once in full operation Telenor plans to offer Wikipedia access to its subscribers without them being charged for mobile data traffic.
Wikipedia Zero has been made available in 21 territories globally, several of them in Asia. Telenor is one of the two telecom companies to have won a national license in Myanmar, the other being Qatar-based company Ooredoo. Both companies have said they would begin selling SIM cards and services eight months after their licenses are given the go-ahead. Currently, only 11.1 percent of Myanmar’s population has access to mobile phones and service. The government plans to increase mobile density to about 80 percent by 2016.
