Telenor Myanmar has delayed introducing mobile service in Yangon until the end of the month to give it more time to optimise its network across the country’s largest city, where it now has 305 towers.

CEO Petter Furberg (pictured) said the company has faced difficulties rolling out the network during the rainy season and has experienced delays processing approvals for cell towers, the Myanmar Times said. “We need more time to optimise, and to make the performance and the quality of the network better.”

The company officially launched service in the country’s second-largest city of Mandalay on 27 September, saying coverage in Nay Pyi Taw would follow within a week and Yangon would come on line within a couple of weeks.

The operator has said previously it needs about 300 towers to offer seamless coverage in Yangon. The Times quoted Furberg as saying: “It’s about the few spots where we are trying to find if can we put in a mobile tower, another rooftop [site], just to make it [coverage] a little bit better.”

He said it will need to continue to add at least 100 towers a month in Yangon to keep up with the expected demand.

In Mandalay, where it now has 84 cell cites, he said its network has faced congestion issues during peak hours since usage is higher than expected. Telenor plans to add about 30 more sites over the next month.

Rival Ooredoo launched its 3G network in early August in Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. The company claimed at the time its service covered an estimated 7.8 million people in 68 cities and towns.