Myanmar okays Viber use

Published on Saturday, 20 October 2012 13:00

The Myanmar telecommunication authorities have approved the use of smartphone application Viber for making international calls.

Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT) will not cut any mobile phone connection for using the application, Zaw Min Oo, MPT chief engineer, said confirming the approval.

“The application proved to be very useful for our people,” the MPT official added.

The application allows iPhone, Android and Blackberry users to call and send messages and photos to Viber users worldwide for free. They can also call people who do not have the application by using 3G or Wi-Fi.

Before the approval, there was a rumor that the MPT might take punitive action against those using applications like Viber or other software and Internet-based calling services like Skype and Pfingo.

The MPT had never planned any such action, said U Kyaw Soe, principal of MPT Training Department.

“With Viber, the international calling rates are cheaper than those made through the MPT lines. This is the main reason why so many people are using the application,” said a Viber user who don’t want to be named.

Only six or seven out of 100 citizens in Myanmar own mobile phones. But many of those having smartphones use Viber.