Telenor opens doors of Community Information Centre
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Telenor Myanmar has announced the opening of Telenor Light House - the first Community Information Center (CiC) in Myanmar, located in Lewe, Nay Pyi Taw with the opening of the second Light House in Dala, Yangon to follow soon.
Telenor is partnering with Myanmar Information Development Organisation (MIDO) to establish and manage 200 CiCs in Myanmar. The partnership between Telenor and MIDO was signed in June, 2014.
“Telenor’s vision is to empower societies by contributing to the local communities where we operate. Opening the Light Houses is an important milestone for Telenor in Myanmar and a step towards fostering user adoption of mobile services and digital literacy across the country. We hope everyone in the local neighbourhoods will use the centres”, says Petter Furberg, CEO of Telenor Myanmar while attending the opening of the first Light House.
U Nay Phone Latt, Executive Director of MIDO said “The Light Houses will be a source of light for the communities – to illuminate a path to easy access to information and knowledge. Each of the 200 centres will in time provide a connection to the outside world for rural communities that traditionally have not had access to connectivity or the masses of information available online.”
The Light Houses aim to boost user-adoption of mobile connectivity and Internet in rural areas and improve digital literacy through nationwide initiatives for school children. The centres are run by local entrepreneurs, and are open to all in the local communities.
Telenor will provide the required technical equipment and connectivity to the centres whereas MIDO is responsible for selecting the entrepreneurs locally to run the Light Houses. Telenor and MIDO will jointly train the entrepreneurs and collaborate on developing the centres to be a sustainable business.
Both Telenor and MIDO have trained the entrepreneurs in how to operate the centres from a technical and commercial point of view. The entrepreneurs were also trained on how to ensure the Light Houses are turned into sustainable businesses and that they are truly catering to the needs of the local community in which they operate.
Ko Thant Zin Tun, the 37-year-old local entrepreneur who will run the Community Information Centre in Lewe Township, said, “I believe that the Light Houses can positively impact the development process in Myanmar. Moreover, I am positive that the Light House will offer valuable support, for example to youth and women who are trying to implement their entrepreneurial dreams.”
