Myanmar’s government is opening up its telecoms sector by inviting foreign companies to submit expressions of interest for two national mobile operating licences by 25 January.

The Financial Times reports that the licences will be issued by June and will be the first of four that are planned. The licences will run for as long as 20 years with options to renew, a government statement said.

According to the newspaper, the country has 5.5 million mobile subscribers, a penetration of 9 percent.

Operators that have shown an interest in the Myanmar market include VimpelCom, Telenor, Axiata and Caribbean operator group, Digicel.

Until now, the mobile sector in Myanmar has been controlled by the state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications. However, country is undergoing an economic liberalisation and is keen to attract foreign investment.

Yesterday it was reported that handset vendor HTC is looking to tap into Myanmar, joining companies such as Coca-Cola, MasterCard  and General Electric which have already expressed interest in the country as it continues to open up its economy.