Telenor Myanmar said it will officially open its network in the country’s second-largest city of Mandalay tomorrow, with coverage in Nay Pyi Taw starting within a week and Yangon coming on line within a couple of weeks.

Close to nine million people live in these three cities.

A Telenor representatives said it couldn’t share population coverage projections and hasn’t released base station numbers.

The company has previously committed to rolling out coverage to more than 90 percent of the population within five years.

“We made a commitment to launch affordable and accessible mobile services within eight months of receiving our license,” said Petter-Børre Furberg, Telenor’s CEO in Myanmar.

Telenor said in a statement it will follow the mass-market strategy the group has used in other markets that enables direct contact with retailers and customers. It said in Mandalay alone more than 1,500 outlets will offer Telenor services, and within weeks services will be available at more than 12,000 outlets.

SIM cards are priced at MMK1,500 ($1.50) and are available with top-up cards at all points of sale. Customers can call international numbers and roam when traveling abroad. Calls to any number in Myanmar will cost MMK25 per minute.

The company has 400 employees in Myanmar, 80 per cent of whom are Myanmar nationals.

Ooredoo’s 3G network went live early August in the country’s three major cities — Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay.

Watch our video feature on the market of Myanmar here.