On January 6, the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) imposed restrictions on Telecom International Myanmar Company Limited (MyTel), a joint venture between Viettel, a telecom company under Vietnam’s Ministry of Defense, and the Myanmar military-backed conglomerate. This marks the first-ever U.S. action imposed on a telecommunications company in Myanmar since the 2021 coup. The U.S. government cited MyTel’s operations as being "contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States," noting that the company provides surveillance services and financial support to the Myanmar military.
Justice For Myanmar (JFM) reported that MyTel enables the regime to suppress dissent and monitor military defectors by using customized mobile numbers. This includes tracking military personnel through SIM card registration data and recorded geocoordinates, as well as supporting the establishment of communication infrastructure in military bases.
On the revenue side, MyTel generated over 2 billion USD in accumulated revenue over the five-year period from 2018 to 2022. It is reported to have the largest customer base in Myanmar, with 13 million subscribers. However, this figure, which includes the pre-coup period, is expected to have declined over the past two years.
MyTel’s shares are distributed among Viettel, Myanmar’s military, and Star High, a subsidiary of the Myanmar military conglomerate Myanmar Economic Corporation and is supervised by the regime’s ministry of defense, and Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public Co., Ltd. (MNTH), a consortium of 11 companies mainly owned by prominent local businesses. Initially, 23% of Mytel was owned by the MNTH, but some of these shares, yet to be specified, were later transferred to Star High, according to JFM.
A 2020 research by JFM identified businesses linked or potentially connected to Mytel, including American companies, particularly in the cloud services category. It should be noted that additions to the U.S. Department of Commerce entities list, while significant, is not the same as being fully sanctioned in the broader sense, such as being placed on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s SDN List, which includes a wider range of financial and economic restrictions. The Entity List restricts the export, re-export, or transfer of sensitive U.S.-origin goods, technology, and software to the listed entity without a license. This typically affects advanced technologies, such as semiconductors, telecommunications equipment, and other critical high-tech components.
Members who wish to learn more about the exact nature of these restrictions and their impact should contact Jack Myint at jmyint@usasean.org.
