TowardsaNetworkedEconomyinMyanmar
Interimtechnicalreport
31March2017
SubmittedtoIDRCby:
12BalcombePlace,Colombo00800,SriLankaTel:+94112671160Fax:+94112675212E-mail:[email protected]
*LIRNEasiaisaregionalICTpolicyandregulationthinktankactiveacrosstheAsiaPacific.Itisincorporatedasanon-profitcompanyunderSriLankanlaw.
IDRCprojectnumber:107970-001
IDRCProjectTitle:TowardsaNetworkedEconomyinMyanmar
Reportingperiod:1March2015-28February2017
Country:Myanmar
FullNameofResearchInstitution:LIRNEasia
AddressofResearchInstitution:12BalcombePlace,Colombo00800,SriLanka
ContactInformation:[email protected](e),0094112671160(v),0094112675212(f)
Research team: Helani Galpaya (Chief Executive Officer, LIRNEasia; project leader) Rohan Samarajiva (Chair,LIRNEasia, ProjectAdvisor);Ayesha Zainudeen (SeniorResearchManager, LIRNEasia); Shazna Zuhyle (ResearchManager, LIRNEasia); Gayani Hurulle (Research Manager, LIRNEasia); Suthaharan Perampalam (SeniorResearcher,LIRNEasia);ChiranthiRajapakse (SeniorResearcher,LIRNEasia);PiyumiGamage (JuniorResearcher,LIRNEasia); Prashanthi Weragoda (Senior Finance Manager, LIRNEasia); Priyadarshini Liyanage (Accountant,LIRNEasia);NilushaKapugama(formerSeniorResearchManager,LIRNEasia);RadhikaWijesekera(formerSeniorResearcher, LIRNEasia); Nay Phone Latt (Former ExecutiveDirector,MIDO;Not involved in project at present);Htaike Htaike Aung (Executive Director, MIDO); Phyu Phyu Thi (Research Director, MIDO); Myo Min Aung(CommunicationsOfficer,MIDO);DipendraManocha(Director,DAISYConsortium);JorgeGarciaHombrados(PhDCandidate, University of Sussex); Nirmita Narasimhan (Policy Director, Centre for Internet & Society); PraneshPrakash(PolicyDirector,CentreforInternet&Society)
Thisreport ispresentedasreceivedfromprojectrecipient(s). Ithasnotbeensubjectedtopeerrevieworotherreviewprocesses.
ThisworkisusedwiththepermissionofLIRNEasia.
Copyright2017,LIRNEasia.
Table of Contents Listoftables...............................................................................................................................................................4
1.Synthesis.................................................................................................................................................................5
2.Researchproblem...................................................................................................................................................7
2.1Demand-sideresearch:Quantitative2.1.12015baselineand2016follow-upsurvey...................................7
2.2Demand-sideresearch:Qualitative2.2.1GenderandICTs.............................................................................8
2.3Webliteracydevelopment...............................................................................................................................9
2.4BroadbandQoSEtesting..................................................................................................................................9
3.Researchfindings..................................................................................................................................................10
3.1Demandsideresearch:Quantitative.............................................................................................................10
3.1.12015baselinesurvey..............................................................................................................................10
3.1.22016follow-upsurvey............................................................................................................................16
3.2Demandsideresearch:Qualitative...............................................................................................................20
3.3BroadbandQoSEtesting................................................................................................................................23
4.Projectimplementationandmanagement..........................................................................................................25
4.1Research.........................................................................................................................................................28
4.1.1Demandsideresearch:Quantitative......................................................................................................28
4.1.2Demandsideresearch:Qualitative.........................................................................................................30
4.1.3Webliteracydevelopment.....................................................................................................................31
4.1.4BroadbandQoSEtesting.........................................................................................................................31
4.2Capacitybuilding............................................................................................................................................32
4.3Policyintervention.........................................................................................................................................33
5.Projectoutputsanddissemination.......................................................................................................................34
5.1Researchoutputs...........................................................................................................................................34
5.2Dissemination.................................................................................................................................................36
5.2.2Meetings.................................................................................................................................................37
5.2.3Participationatconferences,paneldiscussionsandworkshops............................................................38
5.2.4News/mediacoverage............................................................................................................................39
5.3Capacitybuilding............................................................................................................................................42
5.3.2CapacitybuildingforMIDO.....................................................................................................................42
5.3.2Capacitybuildingforpolicymakers.........................................................................................................43
5.4Policyintervention.........................................................................................................................................44
5.4.1Telecommunications...............................................................................................................................44
6.Impact...................................................................................................................................................................47
7.Recommendations................................................................................................................................................49
List of tables Table1:BinarylogisticmodelformobileadoptioninMyanmarin2015................................................................12Table2:Top-threeinformationneedsinMyanmarin2015(%of15-65Population)..............................................15Table3:Degreeofprogresstowardsobjectives......................................................................................................25Table4:Keydifferencesbetweenthetwosurveys..................................................................................................28Table5:Firstlevelofsub-strataforquantativeresearch.........................................................................................29Table6:PlansselectedfromthedifferentoperatorsforQoSEtesting....................................................................32Table7:Researchoutputs........................................................................................................................................34Table8:Meetings-disseminationofBBQoSEtesting..............................................................................................37Table9:Mediacoverage..........................................................................................................................................39Table10:Blogposts..................................................................................................................................................41Table11:ProgresstowardsaworkableTTSengine.................................................................................................46
List of annexes Researchreport:AbaselinesurveyofICTandknowledgeaccessinMyanmar Annex1Researchreport:Mobilephones,internetandgenderinMyanmar Annex2Researchreport:Navigatingthewalledgarden:FreeandsubsidizeddatauseinMyanmar Annex3Researchreport:QualityofServiceExperiencedbyMobileBroadbandusersinMyanmar Annex4Researchpaper:Rationalizationofmobiletelephonybysmall-scaleentrepreneursinMyanmar Annex5Conferencepaper:Information/communicationhabitsandneedsofthelowincomemicroentrepreneursinMyanmarandtheroleformobilephones.
Annex6
Conferencepaper:Regulationunderconstrainedcapacity:LessonsforMyanmar Annex7
Conferencepaper:Factorsaffectingwomen'sabilitytopurchasemobilephonesinMyanmar. Annex8Conferencepaper:UnderstandingGenderVarianceinMobileOwnershipinMyanmar Annex9Conferencepaper:FactorsinfluencinguseofmobiledataservicesamongwomeninMyanmar Annex10Conferencepaper:Policychallengesinembracingmobiletechnologytopromotesocioeconomicdevelopment:ThecaseofMyanmar
Annex11
Slideset:Mobilephones,Internet,informationandknowledge:Myanmar2016 Annex12Slideset:PerformanceofUniversalServiceFunds:India,MalaysiaandPakistan Annex13Researchdesign:AssessmentoftheSocioeconomicEffectsofImprovingtheStrengthofMobilePhoneSignalinMyanmar
Annex14
Methodologynote:2016follow-upsurveyonICTuseandinformationneedsinMyanmar Annex15Visitreport:Myanmardisabledaccessissues Annex16Eventreport:2015baselinesurveyonICTuseandinformationneedsinMyanmardissemination Annex17Eventreport:2016follow-upsurveyonICTuseandinformationneedsinMyanmardissemination Annex18Coursereport:UnionParliament-SocialmediaandICTsforimprovedgovernance:Egovforparliamentarians.
Annex19
Coursereport:RegionalParliament-SocialmediaandICTsforimprovedgovernance:Egovforparliamentarians.
Annex20
Policyinput:Telecommunicationsmasterplan Annex21Policyinput:Internationalgatewayfacilityservices Annex22Policyinput:Allocationofspectrumfrequency Annex23Policyinput:Designofaregulatoryagencyandapolicyunitwithintheministry Annex24Follow-upnote:ChristopherPeirce Annex25
Follow-upnote:PatriciaCurran Annex26Follow-upnote:NayLinSoe Annex27Follow-upnote:ThantThawKuang Annex28Follow-upnote:VickyBowman Annex29
1. SynthesisThetelecommunicationssectorinMyanmarwasinanascentstageatthetimeofconceptionofthisproject.Beforeliberalizationtherewereonlytwomobilecellularsubscriptionsper100individualsasrecentlyas20121.Theliberalizationofthemarketin2013hasbeenfollowedbysignificantgrowthinthesectortodate;thisisreflectedinthetelecommunicationsaffordability,accessanduseindicators.Myanmarranked140thoutof175intheITU’sICTdevelopmentindex,fourplacesaheadofLaoPDRandaheadofbothBangladeshandPakistan.ItiswithinstrikingdistanceofIndia.TheobjectiveofthisprojectwastocatalyseMyanmar’smovementtowardsbecominganinclusive,networkedeconomythatwasmakingadvancementsonbothsocialandeconomicfronts.LIRNEasiafocusedontakinganall-frontsapproachinthisendeavour.Itfocusesonaddressing,thefourelementsintheInternetecosysteminasingleproject:infrastructureenablingaffordableconnectivityservices,skilledusers,lowcostanduser-friendlydevices,andattractivecontentandapplications.Theexpectedoutcomeofthiscombined,all-frontsapproachisthatitincreasesInternetsubscriptionsandusersper100toalevelabovethatofitscomparatorcountries.Theprojectconsistsofthreekindsofactivities:research,capacitybuilding,andpolicyadvocacy.
LIRNEasialookstofacilitateevidencebasedpolicymaking.Muchofthecoreevidencerequiredforpolicyinterventionistostemfromquantitativeandqualitativeresearchcarriedoutbytheorganization.ItconductedtwonationallyrepresentativehouseholdandindividualICTusesurveysin2015and2016.Thesurveyconductedin2015underthepreviousproject/researchcycle2wasthefirstnationallyrepresentativeICTusesurveytobecarriedoutinthecountry.Inbothyears,disseminationeventsandmeetingswereheldinYangonandNayPyiTawtosharethefindingswithpolicymakers–includingtherelevantUnionDeputyMinister,privatesector,civilsocietyorganizationsandthemedia.ThetwosurveysarekeypartsoftheimpactassessmentofmobilephonesthatLIRNEasiaisconducting.TheresultsfromthebaselinesurveygaverisetoaseriesofquestionsrelatedtogenderdisparitiesinICTaccess.AjointqualitativestudywiththeConnectedWomenprogrammeoftheGSMAssociation(GSMA,theindustrybodyrepresentingmobileoperatorsworldwide)wasundertaken(withmajorityoffundscomingfromGSMA,whileallresearchwasconductedbyLIRNEasia).TheresultingreportwascompletedintimefortheMobileWorldCongressinFebruary2016,andofficiallylaunchedinYangoninApril2016.QualitativeresearchwasalsoconductedontheuseoffreeandsubsidizeddatapackagesinMyanmar,withco-fundingfromMozillaandtheGoogleFellowshipprogramme.Thefirstroundofbroadbandqualityofserviceexperience(BBQoSE)testingtookplaceinMay2016incollaborationwithM-Lab(MeasurementLab,aconsortiumfoundedbytheNewAmericaFoundation’sOpenTechnologyInstitute).Theresultsweredisseminatedtothethreeoperatorsthroughaseriesofface-to-facemeetingsinJune2016.Thesecondfocusofactioninthisprojectiscapacitybuilding,firstlytargetingMIDO(anamedpartnerinstitutioninthisproject)sothattheyareabletobecomeafinanciallyindependent,evidence-basedresearchandadvocacy
1http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P22IDRCprojectnumber:107077-001:InclusionintheinformationsocietyinAsia
organization,andsecondlythepolicymakers,regulatorsandcivilsocietyinMyanmarwhocaninfluenceICTpolicy.LIRNEasia’sfinanceexpertsspentaweekinYangontoconductfinancialtrainingforMIDO’sfinancedepartmentinApril2016.MIDO’scommunicationsofficerhasworkedextensivelywiththeLIRNEasiatoorganizedisseminationeventsandcourses,andplansareunderwaytoconductfurthertrainingonthisfront.Twocoursestitled‘SocialmediaandICTsforgovernance:E-govforparliamentarians’wereconductedinJuly2016.20membersoftheLowerandUpperhousesoftheUnionParliamentattendedthefirstcourse.ThesecondcoursewascarriedoutovertwodayswithinthepremisesoftheYangonRegionalParliament,recordinganattendanceofover80parliamentariansoneachday.
Workonpolicyadvocacyhascommencedinselectedareas.Duringthisreportingperiod,LIRNEasiaaddressedtheimprovementofICTinfrastructurebysubmittingresponsestopolicydocumentsincludingthedraftTelecommunicationsMasterplanandaconsultationpaperregardingtheallocationofspectrumfrequenciesinearly2016.InavisittoMyanmarinearly2016,theteamfromLIRNEasia,MIDOandCIS(theCenterforInternetandSociety,India,anamedpartnerinstitutioninthisproject)startedworktowardscatalysingICTaccessforthedifferentlyabledpeopleofMyanmar,byconsultingwithmultipleexpertswhoareinterestedinenablingwideraccesstodigitalcontentfortheblind.AtLIRNEasia’sinvitationaleadingexpertinthedevelopmentofsoftwaresolutionsfortheblindflewtoYangonandmetwithkeystakeholders–progressisbeingmadeinidentifyingandresolvingerrorssincehisvisit.Stepsarealsobeingtakentopromotethedevelopmentofcontentaccessiblebytheblind.
2. Research problem Myanmarisatacriticaljunctureintime.Ashiftinthecountry’seconomicpolicieshastakenplacesince2012,orientingthecountrytowardsamoremarketledmechanism.Thetelecommunicationssectorhasundergonesignificantliberalization,withtwointernationaloperatorsbeinggrantedlicensestocompetewiththeincumbent.Theincumbenttoohascontractedoutsideexpertiseandisinvestingasignificantamountoffundstowardsimprovingtheirservices.Whiletheliberalizationofthemarketisasteptowardstherightdirection,itisessentialthatregulatorybestpracticesareencouragedtofacilitatewelfaregainstoall.However,onesizefitsallpoliciesmaynotbethepanaceainfindingoptimalsolutions.
LIRNEasia,whichhasworkedextensivelyintheICTpolicysectorindevelopingAsia,waswellpositionedtolayoutthedangersofincoherentpolicymaking.ItsclosetieswithMIDOfurtherreinforcethisposition.Assuch,thisprojectwasconceivedwiththeultimateobjectiveofplayingaroleinincreasingtheInternetsubscriptionsandusersper100toabovetheaverageofcomparatorcountries.Towardthisend,research,capacitybuildingandpolicyinterventionactivitiesareincludedinthisproject.
OneofthekeyresearchobjectivesoftheprojectwastogainagoodunderstandingofhowindividualsinMyanmar,particularlyonesatthebottomofthepyramid(BOP)useICTs,andhowthatuseisevolvingasthemarketdevelops.LIRNEasiaconductedanationallyrepresentativebaselinesurveyofICTusesandneedsin2015.3Thebaselinesurveyformsthebaseofmuchofthedemandsideresearch(quantitativeandqualitative)thatisbeingconductedthroughthecurrentgrant.
2.1 Demand-side research: Quantitative 2.1.1 2015 baseline and 2016 follow-up survey Whileinitialtop-lineanalysisofthenationallyrepresentativebaselinedatawasconductedinMarch-April2015,thecurrentgranthasenabledcontinuedanalysisofthedata,specificallytomeasuresocio-economicimpactsoftheexpansionofmobilecoverageinMyanmar.Theimpactanalysiswasconceivedduringthepreviousgrant,whichledtoabaselinesurveybeingconducted.Therationalebehindthiswastotakeadvantageoftheuniqueopportunitytowitnessmobileconnectivitysurgingfromclosetozerosoonafterliberalizationofthesector.Thereismuchpotentialformobilephonestoplayaroleinsocio-economicdevelopment,beitthroughaccesstospecificservicessuchasmobilemoneyorsimplythroughtheaccesstoinformationaffordedbythemobilephone.Theoriginalideawastomeasuresocioeconomicoutcomesatbaseline(whenconnectivitywasexpectedtobenon-existentinalargeenoughnumberofwardsandvillages)andtheninafollow-upsurveymeasurethesameoutcomesafterthosewardsandvillageshadreceivedconnectivity,ayearlater.However,itwasfoundthattheproportionofwardsandvillagesthatwerealreadyconnectedjustpriortobaselinefieldworkwastoohighforthisapproachtowork.Thereforedataonthequalityofthemobilesignalwascollectedalongwithhouseholdandwardandvillage-leveldata,inordertoenableotherdesignapproachestobeexplored.Therefore,otherapproachesarebeingexplored,andbasedonthedatacollectedatbaselineandinstrumentalvariableapproachseemsmostfeasibleatthispoint.3FacilitatedthroughIDRCprojectnumber107077-001
Throughthecurrentgrant,afollow-upsurveyofICTneedsanduseswasconductedinJune-August2016usingsimilarmethodstothebaseline.Theideabehindthiswastocapturethegrowthinmobileaccessandownership,seehowmobileusehasevolved,exploretheuptakeofdataservices(includingzero-ratedcontent),ifandhowinformationneedsandsourceshavechanged,amongotherquestions.Thesurveyalsointroducedafewquestionsaimedatassessingdigitalliteracyinthepopulation.WhiletheinitialobjectivewastocovertheBOPonly,thedecisiontoconductanationally(i.e.,allsocioeconomicgroups)representativebaselinesurveyhassimilarlybeenappliedforthefollow-upsurvey.
2.1.2 Impact evaluationThecontinuedanalysisofthebaselinesurveydataisdirectedtowardsasocioeconomicimpactassessmentofmobilephonesinMyanmar.Whiletheimpactshavenotyetbeenmeasured/calculated,theanalysisconductedsofar,ledbyJorgeGarciaHombrados4,hasbeentodeterminethemostappropriateempiricalstrategytoassessandunderstandthesocioeconomiceffectsofimprovingthestrengthofthemobilephonesignalinMyanmar.
2.2 Demand-side research: Qualitative 2.2.1 Gender and ICTs ByMarch2015,justoverayearfromliberalization,39%ofMyanmar’spopulationbetweentheagesof15-65ownedamobilephone,accordingtothebaselinesurveyconductedbyLIRNEasiain2015.Thesurveyshowedhowever,thatwomeninMyanmarwere29%lesslikelytoownamobilephonethanmen.
TheinitialanalysisofthefindingsfromLIRNEasia’sbaselinesurveyonmobileusewerepresentedbyLIRNEasiaCEOHelaniGalpayaattheGSMAMobileWorldCongressinMarch2015inBarcelona,Spain.Afterseeingthegender-disaggregatedaccessnumbersofthesurveyfindings,LIRNEasiawasapproachedbytheConnectedWomenprogrammeofGSMAtoconductajointqualitativestudytoanalyzethereasonsfordifferencesinmobileownershipbetweenmenandwomen.GSMAConnectedWomenprovidedfundstohireavendorforthefieldworkandthedesignandprintingofthefinalreport(approximatelyUSD40,000),whileLIRNEasiacoveredthecostoffieldtravelforitsresearchersaswellasitsresearchertime(approximatelyUSD5,000)towardthecost.Whatresultedwasaco-brandedresearchreportentitledMobilephones,InternetandgenderinMyanmar,whichisbeinglaunchedinBarcelonainFebruary2016andinMyanmarinApril2016.Thefollowingresearchquestionswereexploredthroughthejoint-study,whichwascarriedoutinJuly2015:
o WhyisthereamobileownershipgendergapinMyanmar?o WhydomanymobileownersinMyanmarnotusemobileInternet?
§ Aretheredifferentreasonsformenversuswomen?o Whataretheopportunitiestoencouragemorewomentoownandusemobilephones(especially
mobileInternet)inMyanmar?2.2.2 Free and subsidized data useLIRNEasia’s2016follow-upsurveyshowedthatdespite78%ofmobileownershavingInternetreadysmartphones,only49%reportedusingmobiledataservices.InacountrywherethemeanmonthlyincomeislessthanMMK300,000(USD250),affordabilityremainsanissue.
4UniversityofSussex
Zero-ratedpromotionsallowsubscriberstousedataforfree,i.e.,withoutcountingtowardstheirpurchaseddataplanortop-upbalance.SuchdataisoftenlimitedinscopetoafewappsorInternetservices.Zero-ratedpromotionsintroducepeopletoInternetservices,andmaytherebystimulatedemandformobileInternetaccess.
Theuseoffreeandsubsidizeddata(zero-ratedcontent)inMyanmarwasthusexplored.MobileoperatorsinMyanmarofferedanumberoftheseservicesincludingFacebookfreebasics..Thisresearchwasco-fundedbyMozilla(approx.USD10,000),asapartofitsresearchinAsia,AfricaandLatinAmericaonInternetuseinthepresenceofsubsidizeddata.FundswerealsoreceivedfromtheGooglePolicyFellowshipProgramme.LIRNEasiacoveredthepersonnelandtravelcostsofitsresearchers.Thequestionsexploredthroughthisresearchare:
• HowdopeopleuseFacebookfreebasicsandotherzeroratedcontent?• DousersconnecttotheInternetbeyondzero-ratedservicesorstaywithinthese‘walledgardens’?• Howdouserschangedataconsumptionhabitsafterusingzero-ratedofferings?• Douserscontinuetousezero-ratedofferingsovertime?
2.3 Web literacy development LIRNEasiaaimstoinvestigatescalablemodelsofpromotingmobileandwebliteracyinordertofacilitatetheuseofICTs.Telecentreswereproposedtobesetupbythemobileoperatorswasidentifiedasameansofpromotingmobileandwebliteracy.ThemodelsthathavebeenusedbytheseTelecentrestopromotedigitalliteracy,andthedemandforthecontentistobeanalysedtotheextentpossible.
2.4 Broadband QoSE testing LIRNEasiahasbeentestingBroadbandQualityofService(QoS)asexperiencedbytheendusersince2008.Previousstudiesconfirmthatadvertisedspeedsareafarcryawayfromwhatisactuallyreceivedbytheuser.WehavealsoobservedservicedegradationwhenconnectingtoInternationalservers.Amisconceptioninbroadbandqualitymeasuresisthatdownloadspeedistheonlymetricthatreallymatters.Itisperhaps,whatismosteasilyunderstoodbyconsumers,however,thereareotheraspectsthatarevitalforauser’s‘online’experience.ThisresearchcomponentaimedtomeasuremultiplemetricsthataffectthequalityofbroadbandservicesreceivedbytheuseracrossallstatesinMyanmar.AsInternetaccessviathemobilephoneisprevalentinMyanmar,itfocusesonmobilebroadbandofthethreemainmobilenetworkoperators.
3. Research findings 3.1 Demand side research: Quantitative 3.1.1 2015 baseline survey Apartfrombeinganintegralpartoftheimpactevaluation,thedatafromthebaselinesurveyisinterestinginandofitself,andshedsignificantlightonthestatusofICTuseinthecountry,whennoothernationallyrepresentativedataforthecountryonICTuseexisted.Itshighlightsarereportedheresincethepreviousgrantendedbeforetheresultswereanalyzed,withtheanalysisbeingdoneinthisgrant.Furtherdetaileddescriptivestatisticsareavailableintheonlinereportavailableathttp://lirneasia.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LIRNEasia_MyanmarBaselineSurvey_DescriptiveStats_V1.pdf.ItcanalsobereferredtoinAnnex1
ICTaccessBythetimeofsurvey,96%ofwardsand87%ofvillagesinMyanmarreceivedamobilesignal.5Qualityisvariableasnetworksexpandcoverageandcapacity,butjustoneyearafterthetwoprivatelicensesweregranted,mobileshadalreadybecomethemostprevalentICTinMyanmarhouseholds(Figure1)with58%ofhouseholdshavinganactiveSIMand57%havingamobilehandsetpresent,comparedto‘older’ICTslikeTVsandradios.Almost60%ofhouseholdshadatleastonemobilephonepresent,whilealmost30%hadmorethanone.MobileSIMandhandsetownershipwasapproximately45%higherinurban(vs.rural)and43%higherinhigherincome6(vs.lowerincome)households.
Figure1:HouseholdaccesstoICTsandICTconnections2015(%ofMyanmarhouseholds)
5Basedonsurveyresponsesofward/villageadministratorssurveyedineveryward/villageselectedforthebaselinesurvey;ward/villageadministratorswereaskedwhethertheirward/villagereceivedanymobilesignalatthetimeofsurvey.Coveragedataisbasedonresponsestothefollowingquestion:“Doyoureceiveanymobilephonecoverageinyourward/village?”Allwardandvillageadministrators/leadersinthesurveywereaskedthisquestion.6‘High’incomehouseholdswereconsideredasthosethathadatotalmonthlyexpenditureofoverMMK300,000,equivalenttosocio-economicclassification(SEC)groupsA,BandC;similarly,‘low’incomehouseholdswereconsideredthosethathadamonthlyhouseholdexpenditureofMMK300,000orless,equivalenttoSECgroupsD-E.
1%
2%
2%
1%
5%
18%
44%
52%
57%
58%
Tablet computer
Notebook, laptop computer
Internet connection (excluding. via mobile phone)
Desktop computer
Fixed phone
Radio/cassette player
CD/ DVD/ EVD/ Blue Ray disc player
Television
Mobile handset
Active mobile SIM
Source:LIRNEasianationalbaselinesurvey,2015
Respondentsfromhigherincomegroupsweremorefrequentteleusers7,withjust15%havingneverusedaphonebefore,comparedwith38%ofthosefromlowerincomegroups.Eightypercentofthisusewasfromamobilephone.Whenthepurposeofcallingwasconsidered,ownerstendedtohavemorelivelihood-relatedcalls,althoughthiskindofusagewaslowcomparedtosocial-purpose-relatedcalls.
Mobileownershipandfactorsinfluencingmobileadoption
Atanindividuallevel,mobilephoneownership(havinganactiveSIM,withorwithoutahandset8)among15–65yearoldsinMyanmarwas39%.Arelativelylargegendergapof29%wasseen,withwomen’sownershipbeingjust33%comparedto47%amongmen.
Mobilepenetrationwasgreaterinhigherspendinghouseholds(i.e.,thosewithhigherincomeormorewealth)-42%ofthemhadamobilephoneandSIM.Buteveninpoorhouseholdsthenumberwas35%.Thisfigureisremarkable,giventhatin2006,nearly9yearsaftermarketliberalization,only9%oftheIndianpoorhadaphone,23%ofPakistanand22%inSriLanka.9
Theurban-ruralownershipgapwas58%,withurbanmobileownershipat65%(drivenlargelybythethreebigcities:Yangon,MandalayandNayPyiTaw)andruralat27%.However,theselevelswerestillhigherthanthe2006levelsseeninIndia,PakistanandSriLanka(whowereeachseveralyearspost-liberalizationcomparedtoMyanmarat1yearfromliberalization).
Affordabilityandalackofaneedforaphoneweregivenasthemainreasonsfornon-ownership.
Alogisticmodelingofthefactorsdeterminingthe‘odds’ofadoptingwasconducted.The‘Odds’isdirectlyrelatedto(butnotthesameas)theprobabilityofsomethinghappening.10
Abinarylogisticregressionisawayofmodelingtheprobabilityofaneventwhentheeventisabinaryoutcome,somobileadoption=1(yes)or0(no).Thecoefficientofalogisticregression(Column1inTable1)cannotbedirectlyinterpreted,thereforetheOddsRatio(Column2)iscalculatedfromwhichthe,thechangeintheoddsofadoptionassociatedwith11a1-unitincreaseintheexplanatoryvariable(e.g.,gender,education,etc)maybecalculated(giveninColumn3).
Thisanalysisshowsthatthelargestimpactontheodds(andthereforeprobability)ofmobileadoptionisfromthecompletionoftertiaryeducationinMyanmar,althoughtheactualnumberofrespondentswhohavecompletedtertiaryeducationislow.ApersonwhohascompletedtertiaryeducationinMyanmarhas378%higheroddsofmobileadoptionthansomeonewhohasnotcompletedtertiaryeducationbuthasallothermeasuredcharacteristics(e.g.,gender,householdcharacteristics,etc)thesame.Havingcompletedsecondaryeducationisassociatedwithincreasedoddsof55%.Beingafemaleisassociatedwithareducedoddsofadoptionof42%.Agehasnosignificantassociation.Householdcharacteristicsappeartohaveapositiveassociationwithmobileadoption,withhavingaTV,electricityandhouseholdspendingbeingpositivelyassociatedwiththeoddsofadoption.Networkvariablesaresignificantandpositive,witheachadditional10%ofarespondent’sfamilyowningamobileassociatedwithanincreasedoddsofadoptionof36%.Positiveperceptionsofthebenefitsof7Thatishavingusedany)phonebefore.8Althoughresponsesshowthatanegligiblenumber(0.7%)ownanactiveSIMbutnotahandsetoftheirown,weconsidertheseSIM-onlyownersasmobile‘owners’.
9AsseeninLIRNEasia’[email protected]‘odds’ofandeventhappeningisequaltotheprobabilityoftheeventhappeningdividedbytheprobabilityoftheeventnothappening;inthiscase,Oddsofmobileadoption=probabilityofadoption/probabilityofnotadopting11Thistypeofmodelinganddatacannotbeusedtoascertaincausality,onlyassociation.
phoneuseareassociatedwithhigheroddsofmobileadoption,especiallywithrespecttotheperceivedemotionalbenefits.
Table1:BinarylogisticmodelformobileadoptioninMyanmarin2015
Coefficient(β)
OddsRatio
ChangeinOddsRatiodueto1unitincreaseinvariable
p-value
Gender(0=male;1=female) -0.536 0.585 -42 0.00
Secondaryeducationbeingthehighestobtained(0=no,1=yes)
0.438 1.55 55 0.00
Tertiaryeducationbeingthehighestobtained(0=no,1=yes) 1.564 4.777 378 0.00
Havingtelevisionathome(0=no,1=yes) 0.61 1.84 84 0.00
Havingelectricityathome(0=no,1=yes) 0.342 1.407 41 0.00
Employmentstatus(0=notemployed;1=employed) 0.608 1.836 84 0.00
Perceivedeconomicimpactofmobile(scalarvariable:1-5) 0.067 1.07 7 0.25
Perceivedknowledgeimpactofmobile(scalarvariable:1-5) 0.122 1.13 13 0.04
Perceivedemotionalimpactofmobile(scalarvariable:1-5) 0.235 1.265 27 0.00
Proportionoffamilymembershavingmobile(scalarvariable:1-10)
0.304 1.355 36 0.00
Proportionoffriendshavingmobile(scalarvariable:1-10) 0.047 1.048 5 0.00
Monthlyhouseholdexpenditure(MMK) 0.115 1.122 12 0.01
Ageofrespondent(no.ofyears) -0.005 0.995 -0.5 0.09
Constant -3.439 0.032 -97 0.00
Source:LIRNEasia
SmartphoneandInternetuse
Thedatashowedthat66%ofmobilesubscribersownedasmartphoneand37%ownedafeature(or‘keypad’)phone(3%ownedboth).Assuch,morethantwothirdshadInternet-readyfeaturessuchasabrowser,applicationsandWi-Fifeatures.ThisisapenetrationratehigherthanThailand,Myanmar’smuch-richerneighbor,
reportedtohaveunder50%smartphonepenetration.CountrieslikeIndiaandSriLankaaremuchlower–under20or25%.12
Smartphonepenetrationwashighestinthe15-24agegroup,ashighas84%,andhighestamongthosefromhigherincomehouseholds(75%).OnaveragemobileownershadpaidapproximatelyUSD90fortheirhandsets.
Amongmobileowners,thereisconsiderableuseofmobileInternet,usingvariousappsthatareinstalledonthephone.Thirty-fourpercentofmobileownersusedatleastonedataservice(internetviaabrowserorapps,includingsocialmedia,callingandchatapplications,etc.)ontheirmobilephone.Usagewaslimitedtoafewapps(mostlysocialmediaandcallingapps);overhalfofthesedataserviceusersonlyusedbetweenoneandthreetypesofservices.
Lookingatthedataservicesindividually,thehighestpercentage,or24%ofphone/SIMowners’useiscalling/usingVOIPapplicationsuchasViberandSkype(Figure2).Nexthighest,at20%arethevariouschatapplicationssuchasWhatsappandFacebookmessenger.ThirdistheFacebookapp,with17%ofallphoneownersusingit.Thesearereasonablyhighnumbers,just6monthsafterliberalization.
Interestingly,however,whenasked(inanotherquestionofthesurvey)iftheyhadusedtheInternet“throughabrowseronanydevicesuchasacomputer,tabletormobilephoneinthepast12months”,only2%say“yes”.Evenwithinthis2%,themajorityuseamobilephone,notatabletoracomputer.Giventhatcomputeruseinthe12monthsprecedingthesurveywasatamere2%,thedominanceofmobilephoneevenforbrowser-basedInternet(thetraditionalandperhapsmorecumbersomewaytoaccesstheinternet)isnotsurprising.
12GSMAIntelligence.2015.MobileinternetusagechallengesinAsia—awareness,literacyandlocalcontent.Retrievedfromhttps://gsmaintelligence.com/research/?file=06e82e7d9c569e05a6d54974c33f6b04&download
Figure2:Whatmobileownersusedtheirhandsetsforin2015(%ofmobileowners)
Note:‘app’useexcludesuseofthebrowser-basedversionoftheservice
Source:LIRNEasianationalbaselinesurvey,2015
Perceivedbenefitsofphoneuse
Thegreatestperceivedbenefitofaccesstophoneswasseenintermsofimprovedsocialandfamilyrelationsandrelationships.Mobileownersfeltmorestronglyaboutthebenefitsthannon-owners,especiallythosefromhigherincomehouseholds.
Perceptionsofquality
Whilemobilesubscriberswereonthewholesatisfiedwiththequalityofmobilesignalreceived(63%saidtheyreceived‘satisfactory’quality),41%ofurbanand56%ofruralmobilesubscribersstatedthatcallswerenotsuccessfuluponthefirstattempt.
Informationneeds
Responsestothequestionsoninformationneedsshowedthatthetopratedinformationtypeswerecommunityandnationalnews,weatherinformationandinformationoncostandwheretoobtaindailygoodsandservicesFriendsandfamilywerebyfarthemaininformationsourcesfor73%ofrespondents.
Whenaskedwhatthethreemostimportant,day-to-dayinformationneedsare,communitynews(aboutwhatishappeningatward/villagelevel),nationalnews(importantthingshappeninginMyanmar)localnews(what’s
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For missed calls
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Receiving phone calls (via your network provider)
Taking phone calls (via your network provider)
To listen to music
To play games
For calling applications (e.g. calls using Viber,
For using chat/instant messaging applications
For sharing content (pictures/video/music, etc)
To use Facebook application (not through
To download/use any other mobile application
To receive updates, such as breaking news
To watch online video content (streaming)
For using the Internet/web through a browser
For email
For mobile money (sending/receiving talk time)
To access other social-networking or blog
To use Wikipedia application (not through
To access mobile money or banking services
happeningatstate/regionallevel),weatherinformation,informationonwheretogeteverydayhouseholdgoods(atabetterprice),andinformationaboutjobopportunitiesarerankedattheverytop(Table2).Sports,entertainment,horoscopeandother“entertainment”relatedinformationisrankedmuchlower.Thetop6categoriesremainconsistentevenwhenurbanareasandruralareasareconsideredseparately.Butweatherinformationrisestothesecondmostimportantinformationneedinruralareas,reflectingperhapsthedependenceonrainwaterforagriculturerelatedlivelihoods.
DespitehighpenetrationofTV(in50%ofhouseholds)andradio(in18%ofhouseholds),veryfewpeople(under10%)relyonthesesourcestogetinformation.Instead,itisword-of-mouththatworksinMyanmartoday:nearly70%ofrespondentssayfriends/familyarethemainsourceofinformation.AubiquitousandpersonaldevicesuchasthemobilephonemaybeabletoplayasignificantroleinfillingthegapandfulfillinginformationneedsofpeopleofMyanmar.
Moremobilesubscribers(54%)thannon-subscribers(37%)felttheyrequiredmoreinformationthattheyalreadyhaveaccessto;alargenumberwereunsure.
Ownersarehungrierformoreinformation.Whenrespondentsareaskediftheyrequire“moreinformationthantheycurrentlyhave”abouttheirkeyinformationcategories,54%ofownerssay“yes”(i.e.theyneedmoreinformation)compared37%ofnon-ownerusers.Whenaskediftheygetcertaintypesofinformationfastenough,54%ofownerssay“no”comparedto42%ofnon-ownerusers.
Table2:Top-threeinformationneedsinMyanmarin2015(%of15-65Population)
Mostimportant
2ndmostimportant
3rdmostimportant
Communitynews,aboutthingshappeninginyourward/village 20% 11% 10%
Nationalnews,aboutimportantthingshappeninginMyanmar 12% 14% 13%
Weatherinformation 11% 12% 12%
Informationonwheretogeteverydayhouseholdgoodsandservicesandhowmuchtheycost(notbusiness-related)
19% 3% 3%
Informationonjobopportunities 7% 7% 10%
Localnews,aboutimportantthingshappeninginstate/region 6% 11% 5%
Internationalnews,aboutimportantthingshappeninginothercountries
3% 7% 5%
Healthtipsandinformation 3% 4% 8%
Informationonhowtodoormakethings 4% 8% 2%
Priceinformationrelatedtoyourlineofwork 3% 5% 4%
Newskillsandwaysofdoingthingsthatyoucanlearntoenhanceyourearningcapabilities
2% 3% 5%
Source:LIRNEasianationalbaselinesurvey,2015
Futuredemand
Lookingforward,over70%ofnon-subscriberswerehopingtobuyamobileinthefuture,with21%ofnon-subscribersplanningtodosowithinthefollowingyear.Sixtypercentofthesenewbuyerswillberural;57%willbefemale;63%willbefromlower-spending(poorer)households;73%willbeundertheageof44years.
3.1.2 2016 follow-up survey
ICTaccessAccesstoICTdeviceshadincreasedconsiderablybetween2015and2016.Householdownershipofmobilephonesstoodat83%,upfrom57%in2015(Refersection3.1.1).Onaverage,therewere2.3mobilephonesperhousehold;thecorrespondingfigureforSIMcardsperhouseholdwasevenhigherat2.9.Geographically,theincreaseintheproportionofhouseholdswithmobilephonesandSIMshasbeenlargelyinthesmallertownships.Asaresult,householdswithmobilephonesarelessconcentratedinthecities,incomparisonto2015.Asimilar,thoughlessstark,diffusionhasalsobeenobservedinthecaseoftelevisions.
Informationonwheretofindhealthcare(doctors,hospitals,medicationsetc
2% 3% 4%
Otherentertainmentinformation(e.g.,TV,movieupdates,etc) 2% 1% 3%
Currentnewsandupdatesaboutorrelatedtoyoursector 1% 2% 3%
Informationusedinyouroryourchildren’seducation 1% 1% 2%
Informationoneducationopportunitiesforyourselforyourchildren 1% 1% 3%
Othermarketinformation(supplier/customerinformation,marketlocations,etc)
1% 2% 2%
Sportsinformation 1% 1% 2%
Beautytips 1% 1% 1%
Informationonsourcesoffinance(formalandinformalsources,thecostinvolved,etc.)
0% 1% 1%
Crimeinformation 0% 1% 1%
Informationongovernmentprograms,lawsandpolicies. 0% 0% 1%
Informationongovernmentservicesanddocuments 0% 0% 0%
Astrologyinformation 0% 0% 1%
Figure3:HouseholdownershipofICTsandservicesin2016(%ofMyanmarhouseholds)
Teleuseatanindividuallevelwashigh,andhadimprovedconsiderable.Theproportionofindividualswhosaidtheyhadneverusedaphonereducedto9%from31%.Nearlyhalfthepopulation(45%)hadusedaphoneonthedayofthesurveyin2016,upfrom29%in2015.Thisincreaseinthefrequencyofcallingwasobservedinbothurbanandruralareas,andamongstbothmenandwomen.Menhowever,weremorelikelytohaveownedthelastphonetheyused.Women,ontheotherhand,weretwiceaslikelyasmentohaveusedahouseholdorcommonphone.Ninety-fourpercentofthecallsweremadeonamobiledevice.ThosebelongingtohigherSECsweremorefrequentteleusers.NearlyseventypercentofthosebelongingtoSECAhadmadeacallwithintheday-theywerealso3.5timesmorelikelytouseaphonethanthosebelongingtoSECE.OvertenpercentofthosebelongingtoSECE,ontheotherhand,hadnevermadeaphonecall.
Mobileownershipandfactorsinfluencingmobileadoption
Mobileownershiphasincreasedto61%in2016-by21%inurbanareas,butmorethandoubledinruralareas.ThepopulationbelongingtohigherSECsweremorelikelytobemobileowners.MoreindividualsinSECA,BandC1weremorelikelytobemobileownersthannot,whiletheoppositewastrueforthelowerSECsDandE.EqualproportionsofthosebelongingtothelowermiddleincomecategorySECC2weremobileownersandnonowners.
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2015Survey
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Figure4:MobileownershipinMyanmarin2016-urbanvsrural(%of15-65population)
Mobileownershipamongwomenhadincreasedwith52%owningmobilephones.Howeverthegendergapremains,withmenbeing28%morelikelytoownamobilephonethanwomen.TheaverageexpenditureonpurchasingamobilephonewasMMK105,198(USD87)andtotalaveragemonthlyspendontop-upswasMMK7,494(USD6)Expenditureontop-upswas50%greaterinurbanareasthanruralareas.
OveraquarterofactiveSIMownersownedmorethanoneSIMcard;athirdofthosebetweentheagesof15-33ownedmorethanoneSIMcard,whilethecorrespondingfigureforoldercohortswaslower.FiftysixpercentofthosewithmorethanoneSIMsaiditwastogetcoveragewherevertheywent.
Thirtyninepercentofthepopulationdidn’townamobilephonein2016.Themainreasonstatedforthelackofownershipwasthattheycouldnotaffordahandset(43%),followedcloselybytheperceptionthattheydidn’tneedone(41%).Theproportionofrespondentswhostatedthattheydidn’tneedaphonehasincreasedsince2015,perhapsinthelinewiththenotionthatthosewhoaspiredtobuyaphoneinthepasthavealreadygotconnected.
SmartphoneandInternetuseComputerusewaslowinMyanmar;only3%ofthepopulation15-65hadeverusedacomputerin2016.Amongthatsmallgroupofcomputerusers,only16%hadaccessedtheInternetwithintheday.Thereby,smartphonesweretheprimarymodeofaccessingtheInternet.Thedatashowedthat78%ofmobileownersusedsmartphonesin2016.Nogendergapwasobservedinsmartphoneownershipamongmobileowners,asinthepreviousyear.Smartphonepenetrationinruralareashasincreased,leadingtoareductionintheurban-ruralgap.Smartphonepenetrationisstillhighestamongtheyoungercohortswith93%ofmobileownersbetween15-24owningsmartphones,butoldercohortsarealsocatchingup.However,only47%of
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mobileownersusedmobiledataservices.AccessingFacebookwasacommonuseofthemobilephone,with35%ofmobileownersclaimingtheyuseit;21%accessitdaily.Users,similarly,usetheirphonestoengageinchats/instantmessagingandmakeInternetcalls.Significantgrowthintheuseoftheseserviceshasbeenobservedsince2015.
Figure5:Useofmobilephonein2015(%ofmobilehandsetowners)
Informationneeds
Communitynews,weatherinformationandnationalnewswerethetopthreeinformationneedsinMyanmar,consistentwiththeresultsin2015.Fiftythreepercentofrespondentsstatedthattheywouldgetinformationfromfriendsandfamily.Face-to-faceconversationswerethemostcommonmodeofgettinginformation,
57%
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Share/sendpictures
Playgamesoffline
Searchforinformauon
Downloadpictures,musicandvideo
Listentomusicandwatchvideoonline
Downloadapplicauons
Receiveupdates,suchasbreakingnews
Playgamesonlineordownloadinggames
Accessonlinegovernmentservices
Wikipedia
Mobilemoneyorbankingservices
2015
2016
followedbycallsviamobilephones(15%)andtheInternet(9%).AshiftfromtheuseofmobilephonestotheInternetwasobservedbetween2015and2016.
Perceivedbenefitsandcostsofphoneuse
Theabilitytoactorcontactothersinthecaseofanemergencywasthebiggestperceivedimprovementsincetheuseofthemobilephone.Usersalsosawacomparativelylargeimprovementinsocialandfamilialrelationswiththeuseofmobilephones.Concernsonmobileaccessanduseremained,particularlyregardingthecostsassociatedwithmobilephonesandtheriskofchildrenbeingexposedtoinappropriatecontent.
Digitalskills
Figure6:Digitalskillsin2016(%ofmobilephoneowners)
Digitalskillsamongmobilehandsetownerswerelow.Approximatelyafifthofmobileownerswereabletosearchforinformation,installapplications,createlog-indetails,locateandadjustsettingsonanapplicationorpostinformationonlinebythemselves.Althoughtheabilitytocarryoutthesetasksimprovedwiththehelpofanother.ThefullslidesetcanbeaccessedinAnnex12
3.2 Demand side research: Qualitative 3.2.1 Gender and ICTs LIRNEasia’s2015surveyonICTuseandinformationneedsshowedhowmeninMyanmarwere29%morelikelytoownaphonethanwomen.Qualitativeresearchwascarriedouttounderstandthereasonsforthisgendergap.
Theresearch(jointlyconductedbyLIRNEasiaandGSMAConnectedWomen)showedthatwomeninMyanmarplayaprominentroleinthemanagementofhouseholdfinances,eveniftheydonotearnanythingthemselves.Theirkeyroleistoensurehouseholdincomeisspentprudently,andtheyoftenprioritizetheneedsofother
22 21 18 19 21
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contentontheInternet/
online
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Createlog-indetails(user)
andapassword
Locateandadjust
sexngsonan
applicauonorservice
Postanyinformauonononline
%
Can,withhelpfromsomeoneelseCan,bymyself
householdmembersovertheirown.Theyareclearlyinvolvedinthefinancialdecisiontopurchaseamobilephoneforthefamily.Yetonceamobilephoneispurchased,thewomanmaynotnecessarilyhaveaccesstothatphoneallthetime.Thisisbecausethephonewill‘travel’withthepersonwhoneedsitthemost–forexampleadaughterwhoworksoutsidethehomeandreturnslateatnight(soaphoneprovidingsecurity),orasonworkinginadifferentcity.Sinceactivitiesoutsidethehomearemoreoftenundertakenbymen,thismobileaccessandusagegapisexacerbated.Assuch,gettingasecondmobilephoneintothehousehold(whichhasahigherlikelihoodofstayinginsidethehousehold)seemskeytoincreasingwomen’saccessandusage.
Thetoptworeasonsamongwomenfornotowningamobilephone(lackofaffordabilityorneed)areconnected.‘Notneeding’amobileisrelativetothecost-benefittrade-offofpurchasinganadditionalphoneforthehousehold.Manywomenwithoutamobilephonesaidthattheydon’t‘need’onebecausetheydonotleavethehouseforworkorstudies.Thoughmanywouldliketohavetheirownmobile,theyfeltthateveniftheydidbuyone,thetop-upswouldbeunaffordablebecausetheyarenotearning(orearningalotlessthanthemalehouseholdmembers).Theclearpreferenceforparticularhigh-endbrandsofsmartphoneswasalsoafactor,sincemanywomenwerewillingtodelaythepurchaseuntiltheycouldaffordaparticularbrand.
Thelowperceivedbenefitsalsoplayarole.Manywomendonotseespendingonmobilesasaprioritycomparedtoothermorepressingneedsofthehousehold,partlyasaresultofhavinglimitedexperienceofmobilephones.Evenamongwomenwhoalreadyuseorownamobile,manydidnotpossesstheskillsorknowledgetoexpandtheircurrentusetopotentiallyvaluabledataservicesandusuallyreliedonothers(primarilymen,eitherrelativesorinphoneshops)forinstruction.OntherareoccasionswherewomenwereusingthemobileInternet,forexampleFacebook,wesawrelatively‘unsophisticated’use.Oftenitwasthelocalretailshopownerwhocreatedtheaccount(includingassigningthepasswordandusername),andpre-subscribedtheaccounttofollowMyanmarcelebritiesorcertaininformationsources.Theuserthensimplyfollowedwhatwasonthenewsfeed.
InMyanmar,closingthemobilegendergapandrealizingtheassociatedsocialandcommercialbenefitswillrequirestakeholderstofocusonthetwomainbarriers:improvingaffordabilityandtechnicalliteracy,particularlyformobileInternet.
Withregardstomobiledataservices,manyfemaleandmalequalitativerespondentsseemedtobestuckinthebasicmobileliteracystage,needinghelpeventomakeacall,especiallyruralrespondents.Whileitwasapparentthatmanymobileownersandnon-ownerswereinterestedtolearnaboutandusetheInternet,mostdidnotknowhowtodoit(evensmartphoneowners).Oneissuewasthatmanyfemaleownerswerenotpresentatthetimeofpurchaseanddidnotgetan‘introduction’tothemobileattheshop(asmentendtodo),sotheyreliedonrelativesandfriendswhoarealreadyowners.Many(includingfemalenon-owners)fearedtheycoulddamagethephonewhenexperimentingwithit.Thisconcernhaslimitedtheirexplorationofphonefunctionalitiesandinternetpossibilities.Languagewasanotherbarrierthatrestrictedtrialandinvestigation.RespondentswhoknewEnglishwerebettereducatedandhadnousagebarriers.ThosewhousedInternet/dataservicesoftenrequirehelptodoso,andwerenotawareofprivacysettings,howtoevaluatetheauthenticityofposts,etc.Thisbeingsaid,SmartphoneownersinYangonhaveabroader/richerunderstandingandinternetusagepatterns.Forthem,theinternetisnotjustaplacetomakefriendsandchat,butalsotosearchforinformation.Manyruralrespondentshadnotheardofmobileappsoradmittedtheydidnotunderstandwhattheywere.
Theresultsaregiveningreaterdetailintheresultingpublication,Zainudeen,A.&Galpaya,H.(2015)Mobilephones,internet&genderinMyanmar.GSMAavailableathttp://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/programme/connected-women/mobile-phones-internet-and-gender-in-myanmar/.ThereportcanalsobefoundinAnnex2
3.2.2 Free and subsidized data useResearchonfreeandsubsidizeddatausewasconductedinovertwoweeksinYangon,MyanmarinJuly2016.Theteamconductedfocusgroupdiscussionswithatotalof63mobilephoneusersaswellasinformalinterviewswithcorporatestakeholdersandstreet-sidevendors.MalesandfemalesfromSECAtoEfromurbanandruralYangonwereselected.All63respondentswereInternetusers,i.e.,usersofmobiledata.Atthetimeofresearch,Myanmarhadarangeofzero-rateddataofferings—themostprominentbeingFacebookFreeBasics(offeredviaMPT,theincumbentoperator),andFreeFacebookandVibertextmessages(offeredbynewentrantTelenor).Alloperatorsofferedanumberofothersubsidizedorpromotionaldatapackages.
TheresearchfoundthatrespondentsdidnotuseorknowofFreeBasicscontentotherthanFacebook.Whilesome40respondentshadusedFreeBasics,onlyfourknewoffreecontentavailableontheplatformbeyondFacebookandMessenger.
Respondentsdescribeddifferentbehavioronthetwomainzero-ratedpromotionsinthisstudy.ManyrespondentsstoppedusingFreeBasicsbecauseofuser-experiencefrustrations:theabsenceofphotosandvideoonthefreeversionofFacebook,slowdataspeedsandtheprocessofswitchingbackandforthbetweenpaidandfreecontent.ThosewhocontinuedtouseFreeBasicsusedit—alongsidepaiddata—forlimitedpurposes.ManyrespondentsusedFreeBasicsprimarilywhentheirtop-upbalancehadrunout,asameanstokeepingincontactwithothersbeforetoppingup.
RespondentswhousedTelenorFreeFacebookandViberincreaseddataconsumptiononthepromotionalpackagesavailable.SeveralruralrespondentsbeganwatchingvideocontentonFacebookforthefirsttimebecauseofthepromotion.Mostusedtheirentire150MBfreequotaeachday,andmanypaidforadditionaldata.Thus,thepromotionservedasan‘on-ramp’topaiddataconsumption,althoughnottothe‘openInternet’:userspaidtocontinueusingFacebook.TelenorFreeuserswerecontenttoremainwithinthe‘walledgarden’.Respondentsalsousedzero-ratedpromotionsasastrategytomanagedata-costs.TheserespondentsusedoneofseveralstrategiesonFreeBasics:usingfreeMessengerexclusively,choosingtoreadpostsonfreeFacebook,orlimitingcertainFacebookactivitytofreemode,inparticularcheckingFacebookgroups.SomeusersofTelenorFreestoppedoncetheyreachthedailycap,whileotherscontinuedusingFacebookbyswitchingtoMPTFreeBasics.
Userperceptionmattered:ifusersunderstoodthattheywereusingfreecontent,i.e.,theyseethe‘gardenwalls’,thentheyunderstandtheyarenotusingthe‘openInternet’.ThelimitationsofFacebookonMPTFreeBasicsservedtohighlightthesegardenwalls:respondentsknewwhentheyareusingzero-ratedcontentandwhentheywerenot.ThesamecannotbesaidforTelenorFree.Severalusers—frombothurbanandruralfocusgroups—describedthefree150MBFacebookallotmentonTelenorasgeneral-usedata.
Perceptionandvisibilityaside,usersdidnotremainwithinthe‘walledgarden’.Mostactivezero-rated-contentusersalsousedotherInternetservices,includingGoogle,newswebsites,andapps.RespondentsdescribefollowinglinksfromwithinFacebooktoexternalwebsites.Exitingthewalledgardenwasmorecommonamongurbanrespondents,butmostruralrespondentswhousedzero-ratedcontentalsouseotherapplicationsonline,commonlyBeeTalkorClashofClans.
Giventhechoicebetweenzero-rating,limiteddatatoaccessunrestrictedcontent,orunlimitedaccesstoopencontentbutatslowspeeds—threewidelyproposedmodelsforspreadingaccess—respondentspreferredunrestrictedcontent.RespondentsexpressedfrustrationatslowWi-Fianddataspeeds.Frustrationswith
limitationsonFreeBasicsandthelaunchofanalternativewithfreefull-contentFacebookledsevenoftheFGDrespondentsinterviewedtoswitchfromMPTtoTelenor.Usersthemselveswerenothappywithaperceivedsecond-classInternet.
Theresultsaregiveningreaterdetailintheresultingpublication,Cihon,P.&Galpaya,H.(2017)Navigatingthewalledgarden:FreeandsubsidizeddatauseinMyanmaravailableathttp://lirneasia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NavigatingTheWalledGarden_CihonGalpaya_2017.pdfandinAnnex3
3.3 Broadband QoSE testing
Servers used for the diagnosticswerewithin core transit locations in Bangkok and Los Angeles. The NetworkDiagnosticTool(NDT)serversareoutsideofISPnetworks,withindatacentersthathavedirectupstreamtransitconnectivitytotheInternet(Tier1networks).Thisplacementisintendedtocomparetoactualuserexperience,wheremorethanonenetwork ispotentially involved inthedeliveryofcontent.This isdifferent fromisolatingonly one component of the ecosystem as other testing infrastructures sometimes do, such as to the accessprovider’sedge.
Detailed results are available in the report (Annex 4). However, a case in point is the often-misunderstoodmetrics; for instance download speed and latency. Latency, or Round-Trip-Time (RTT), is the time taken for apackettoreachadestinationserverandreturntotheclient. Itoftenaffectsthequalityofcertainservices likeonlinegamingandstreamingmedia,amongothers,andalsocontributestothetimetakenforawebpagetoload.The lower the latency the better the overall performance. However, various factors can affect the downloadspeedeveniflatencyislowandvice-versa.Thiswasevidentinourdiagnostics(FigureX&FigureY)whereareaswithhighdownloadspeedsdidnotnecessarilymeasureupwellintermsoflatency.
The figures below illustrate the better performing states (colour coded in shades of green)where the higherdownloadspeeds (FigureX)and lower latencies (FigureY)wereobserved.Thestatescolourcoded inRedhadlower download speeds (Figure X) and higher latencies (Figure Y)
OPERATOR1 OPERATOR2 OPERATOR 3
Figure7:Averagedownloadspeed(inMbpsfromaserverinLosAngeles)forthethreeoperators
Source:LIRNEasia,2016
OPERATOR1 OPERATOR2 OPERATOR 3
Figure8:Averagelatency(inmstoaserverinLosAngeles)forthethreeoperators
Source:LIRNEasia2016
Weoftenusetheadvertisedspeedasabasetoassesshowmuchofit(asapercentage)isactuallyreceivedattheconsumer’send(FigureZ).Unlikefixednetworks,mobilenetworkshaveahigherdegreeofvolatilitywiththeloadonbasestationsconstantlyincreasinganddecreasing.However,otherissuesofthelackofnetwork
optimizationbytheoperatorforinstancethatresultsinconsistentlypoorqualityinsomelocationscanbeaddressedifthesediagnosticsarecarriedoutperiodically.
Figure9:Actualdownloadspeedasapercentageoftheadvertised"upto2Mbps"
4. Project implementation and management Theprojecthasresearch,capacitybuildingandpolicyinterventioncomponents.
Thedegreeofprogresstowardseachobjectiveislistedinthetablebelow;detaileddescriptionsifnecessary,aregiveninthesub-sectionswhichfollow.
Changestoplannedactivitiesandchangesinunderstanding
Table3:Degreeofprogresstowardsobjectives
Objective Activities
Completed
Anticipated/ongoingactivities
Research
AchieveagoodunderstandingofhowMyanmarICTusers,especiallymenandwomenatthebottomofthepyramid,useICTsandcommunicatethisknowledgeeffectivelytorelevantstakeholdersandtothosewhodevelopappsandcontent
1.Analysisofdata&disseminationofresultsfromthebaselinesurveyonmobilephones,internet,informationandknowledgeinMyanmar
2.Questionnairedesign,
1.Reportonendlinesurveyonmobilephones,internet,informationandknowledgeinMyanmar(ongoing)
2.Secondroundof
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
8:00 11:00 15:00 18:00 20:00 23:00
Ayeyarwaddy Bago Kachin
Kayin Kayah Magway
Mandalay Mon Naypitaw
Rakhine Sagaine Shan(Northern)
Shan(Southern) Tanintharyi Yangon
adver[sed
fieldwork,dataanalysisanddisseminationofresultsformtheendlinesurveyonmobilephones,internet,informationandknowledgeinMyanmar3.Designofdiscussionguides,fieldwork,dataanalysis,preparationofreportanddisseminationofresultsofGSMA-LIRNEasiaqualitativegenderstudy
4.Testing,preparationofreportanddisseminationofresultsofthefirstroundofBroadbandQualityofServiceExperience(QoSE)testing
5.Designofdiscussionguides,fieldwork,dataanalysis,reportwritingonqualitativeresearchonfreeandsubsidizeddatauseinMyanmar
6.Co-authorshipofpaperbasedon2014Myanmarmicroenterpriseresearch(submittedforacademicpublication)withNTU(Singapore)researchers,includingRichLing.
broadbandQoSEtestingusingacrowdsourcedmethod
3.Qualitativeresearchononlineharassment,securityandprivacy
Identifyscalablemodelsofwebliteracydevelopmentandimplementinatleast100tele-centersorequivalentlocations
1.PilotresearchondigitalliteracyinMyanmar.
1.EvaluationofdemandforcoursesinTelenor/MIDO’slighthouseproject(waitingforconfirmation)
Capacitybuilding
EstablishMIDOasacredible,independententitymakingevidence-basedinterventionsinMyanmarICTpolicyandregulationprocessesandplayingacatalyticroleinbuildinganinclusiveinformationsocietybymobilizingcivilsocietyandtheprivatesector
1.Strategicplanningmeeting2.PreliminaryfinancialtrainingforMIDO’sfinancedepartmentandseniorstaff
1.FollowupfinancialtrainingforMIDO’sfinancedepartment2.Trainingoneventorganizationandcommunications(ongoing)
Buildcapacityofpolicymakers,regulatorsandprivate-sectorandcivil-societystakeholdersinconsultativepolicymakingandregulationandalsoinbroadbandqualityofserviceexperiencemonitoring
SocialmediaandICTsforimprovedgovernance:Egovforparliamentarians.Conductedfor1.20membersofUnionparliament2.87membersofYangonregionalparliament
1.DataforpolicycourseformembersofYangonregionalparliament2.WorkshoponICTindicatorsforofficialsatMinistryofTransportandCommunications(tent)
Policyintervention
ProvidetimelyandcomprehensiveresponsesandadviceonICTreformsand,toalimitedextent,onelectricityreforms
1.Responsetotelecommunicationsmasterplan
2.Responsetoaconsultationpaperonallocationofspectrum
3.ResponsetoGuidelinesonProvisionofInternationalGatewayFacilityServices
4.Recommendationsonthedesignofaregulatoryagencyandapolicyunitwithintheministry
Noplannedactivitiessincepolicywindowsopenupwithoutpriornoticeandresourcesaremobilizedwhentheopportunityarises.
CatalyzetherateatwhichmembersofthedisabledcommunitygainaccesstoICTs
1.Meetingswithtelecomoperators,leadersofthedisabledcommunitydigitalcontentprovidersanddiscusstheactionsthatcanbetakentoenablemoreICTaccessandcontentaccess(usingICTs)to
1.ResolvingproblemsinthetexttospeechengineinMyanmarlanguage(ongoing)
2.ConductinganauditofGovernment/Ministry
visuallyimpairedpersonsinMyanmar.2.Meetingswithmultiplestakeholders(blindschools,nationalassociation,developers)toidentifyproblemspertainedtoMyanmartexttospeechengine.
websitestocheckforWCAG2.0compliance
General
Facilitatethecreationofamultidisciplinaryadvisorycommittee
1.ProjectAdvisoryCommitteeformed.ThefirstmeetingheldinJune2016,andsubsequentcorrespondence/interactiontakenplace.
4.1 Research 4.1.1 Demand side research: Quantitative 4.1.1.1 2015 baseline and 2016 follow-up surveys LIRNEasia,whenwritingtheprojectproposal,envisagedthatitwouldbeabletogetadditionalfundingfromexternalsourcestofundthe2016follow-upsurvey.However,fundraisingactivitieswereunsuccessful13,LIRNEasiawasthenforcedtoconsiderthereallocationoffundsfromthequalitativeresearchallocatedbudgettoallowforaquantitativesurveytobeconducted.SinceasignificantamountofqualitativeresearchwasundertakenatminimalcosttoLIRNEasiathroughthejointgenderstudywithGSMAConnectedWomen,thisseemedlikeafeasibleoption.Fundsforasecondroundofqualitativeresearch(USD40,000)werepreserved,andUSD60,000wasbereallocatedtothequantitativefollow-upsurvey,bringingthetotalfundsforthisactivitytoUSD100,000.Evenstill,thiswaslessthanthecostofthebaselinesurveyconductedin2015,forwhichLIRNEasiacollaboratedwithThirdEyeCoinacost-and-data-sharingagreement.ThehighmarketcostsonceagainpreventedLIRNEasiafrombeingabletoindependentlycommissionanationallyrepresentativefollow-upsurveytomeettheresearchobjectives.Thereforeonceagain,LIRNEasiahasbeenofferedalow-costopportunitywhichallowedustoinsertanumberofquestionsinThirdEye’smaidennationalquarterlypanelsurvey.
Table4:Keydifferencesbetweenthetwosurveys
2015baselinesurvey 2016follow-upsurvey
13ThefollowingorganizationswereapproachedbyLIRNEasiaforfundsforthispurpose:TelenorMyanmar,Ooreedo,ISOCAsiaPacific
Sampleagegroup15-65 15-69(15-65)
Samplesize8400 7500(7,204foranalysis)
Marginoferror+/-2.5% +/-3%
Despitethedifferencesinsamplesizeandmarginsandmarginsoferrors,theresultsfromthetwonationallyrepresentativesurveysarelargelycomparable.The2016followupsurveywascoveredthepopulationaged15-69,butonlythedatafromthepopulationaged15-65wasanalyzedforthesakeofcomparabilitywiththe2015baselinesurvey..
Theresultscanbedisaggregatedby15statesandregionsincludingNayPyiTawterritory,6geographicregions,andurbanvsrurallocationaswellasbygenderandagegroupsasappropriate.ThetownshipsaresettobePrimarySamplingUnits(PSU).32ofthe330townships(fromKachinState,KayahState,KayinState,ChinState,SagaingRegion,RakhineStateandYangonRegion)areexcludedfromthePSUsamplingframeduetoinaccessibilityandsecurityconcerns.Thedataisstratifiedasfollows:-Mainstrata:19strataof15statesandregionsincludingNayPyiTawUnionterritorywhichcanaggregatedtoform6geographicareas–Northernhills,Easternhills,MiddleDryZone,LowerValley,AyeyarwadyDeltaandLongCoast.-FirstlevelSubstrata:Thislevelofstratificationdependedonthepopulationsizeinthecitiesortownships.
Table5:Firstlevelofsub-strataforquantativeresearch
Typeofsubstrata Populationsizeinthecitiesortownships
Bigcities Greaterorequalto1million(>=1million)
Othermajorcities Between0.25millionand1million(0.25–1million)
Smallertownships Lessthan0.25million(<0.25million)
-SecondlevelSubstrata:Urban&Ruralwithinselectedsamplecities/townshipsfordisaggregatingtheestimatesbetweenurbanandrural.Samplesareallocatedtwofifthsandthreefifthsbetweenurbanandruralasappropriaterespectively.Fourstagesamplingwascarriedout.Thestages,briefly,are;Stage1:SelectionoftownshipStage2:SelectionofwardsinurbanareasandvillagetractsinruralareasinselectedtownshipsStage3:Selectionofclustersinspecifiedwards/villagetractsStage4:Selectionofhouseholdsinselectedcluster(segment)Onceahouseholdwasselected,aKishgridwasusedtoselectonerespondentfortheindividualspecificcomponentofthequestionnaire.
Formoredetailsonthemethodology,seeAnnex14.Additionally,LIRNEasiahasalsoenteredintoacollaborationwiththeNanyangTechnologicalUniversity(NTU,Singapore,underProf.RichLing’scharge),toconductfurtheranalysesoftheMyanmardatacollectedoninformationandcommunicationneedsamonglowincomeurbanmicro-enterprisesbyLIRNEasiain201414,towardacademicpapers.Onesuchpaperhasbeenco-authoredwithProf.RichLingandothersfromNTU,andsubmittedtoInformation,Communication&Societyforconsideration.Discussionsarealsocurrentlyunderwaywiththe/mobilevulnerabilityanalysisandmapping(m-Vam)teamoftheUnitedNationsWorldFoodProgrammetosharethedatafromthebaselinesurvey.Thedataistobeusedtounderstandrelationshipsbetweenfoodsecurityandmobilephoneusage,andtoproduceweightsfortheirmobilephonebasedsurveys
4.1.1.2 Impact analysis TheconceptualizationandinitialsocioeconomicimpactanalysisofthedatacollectedatbaselinewasledbyJorgeGarciaHombrados,whohassubstantiveexpertiseinimpactanalysisasaformerresearcheratJ-PALand3ie.Duetohistimeconstraintshowever,thelatterstageoftheanalysiswillbecarriedbyLIRNEasiaresearchersunderhissupervision.
Theanalysissofarhasbeenaimedatestablishinganempiricalstrategyastohowtomeasureandcalculatetheimpactsgiventhedataathand.Theinsufficientproportionofwardsandvillageswithnomobilenetworkatbaselinenecessitatedthecollectionofmobilesignalstrengthdata,suchthattheimpactsofimprovingsignalstrengthbetweenbaselineandfollow-upcouldbeassessed(asopposedtotheprovisionofmobilenetworks,wherenonepreviouslyexisted).Theempiricaldesignbeingproposedwillexploitthelargevariationinsignalstrengthacrosswardsandvillagesatbaseline,suchthataninstrumentalvariableapproachcanbeusedtomeasuresocioeconomicimpacts.Theapproachisstillbeingtested,andoncetheresearchersaresatisfiedwiththeapproach,theactualcalculationsofimpactscancommence.
4.1.2 Demand side research: Qualitative 4.1.2.1 Gender and ICTs
91respondentsaged18-65wereinterviewedforthisqualitativestudytoanalyzethereasonsfordifferencesinmobileownershipbetweenmenandwomen.Genderandtheirlocality(urbanvsrural)werekeyfactorsusedwhenselectingrespondents.
Thesampletablefortheresearchisgivenbelow.
Female Male TotalUrban(Yangon)
Rural(Pantanaw)
Urban(Yangon)
Rural(Pantanaw)
Protocols Participants
Focusgroupdiscussions
4 4 1 2 11 66
Homevisits 10 10 3 2 25 25 91Mobileownersandnonownersofofvaryingagesandsocioeconomiccategorieswereinterviewed.LIRNEasiatookpartintheselectionoftheresearchvendor(MyanmarSurveyResearch,MSR)withGSMA,designedthesampleandresearchinstruments.NilushaKapugama(FormerSeniorResearchManager,LIRNEasia)andChiranthiRajapakse(SeniorResearcher,LIRNEasia)participatedinsomeoftheearlyprotocols,conducting
14FacilitatedthroughIDRCprojectnumber107077-001
qualitychecksontheworkthatwastakingplace.LIRNEasiathenplayedasignificantpartintheanalysisofdata,usingnVivosoftwaretoanalysethetranscripts.ThereportwasauthoredbyAyeshaZainudeen(SeniorResearchManager,LIRNEasia)andHelaniGalpaya(CEO,LIRNEasia),withcontributionsfromGSMA(mainlyintermsoffeedback),leadingtoadetailedsetofpolicyrecommendationsforawidegroupofstakeholders.Thereportwascopy-editedandpublishedbyGSMA,whohasalsofundedtheprintingcostof100copies.
4.1.2.2Freeandsubsidizeddatause
QualitativeresearchintheformofFGDswascarriedoutinovertwoweeksinJuly2016inYangon.MIDOcarriedouttherecruitmentforthissetoffocusgroups.PhyuPhyuThi(ResearchDirector,MIDO)moderatedthefocusgroupdiscussions.6763respondentsfromSECsAtoEinurbanandruralareasinYangonwereinterviewed.Alltherespondentsweremobiledatausers.Whilesomeusershadusedzeroratedcontent,othershadnot.HelaniGalpaya(CEO,LIRNEasia)andPeterCihon(GooglePolicyFellow,LIRNEasia)supervisedtheFGDs.
4.1.3 Web literacy developmentMIDOhasbeenworkingwithamobileoperatortodevelopacurriculumtobetaughtatthetelecentrestopromotemobileandcomputerliteracy.PilotresearchwiththetelecentreoperatorsandcustomersonthecurriculumandthedemandforthetrainingtookplaceinYangonandNayPyiTawinApril2016.Contingenttohelackofobjectionsfromtheimplementingpartiesandavailabilityofdata,thewebliteracycurriculumwillbedocumentedandthedataonthedemandforeachoftheseserviceswillbeanalysed.
4.1.4 Broadband QoSE testingMobilebroadbandinMyanmarispredominantlyaccessedviamobilephones.GiventhenegligibleavailabilityoffixedbroadbandinMyanmar,thefocuswasonthreesimilarmobiledataplansofferedbyMPT,OoredooMyanmarandTelenorMyanmar.However,thedevicesthatwereaccessibletoMIDOandLIRNEasiadidnotmeetthenecessaryspecificationsinthatsomehadolderversionsofAndroidandothersdidnotsupport3GontheGSMnetwork.DuetocompatibilityissuesthetestingscheduledforearlyMarch2016waspostponedtoMay2016(Aprilhadtobeavoidedasmostpeoplewereonholidayforapproximately2weeksinAprilduetotheWaterFestival).LIRNEasiasecuredfundingfromM-Labtopurchasesuitabledevices.TheSamsungJ1wasusedasthetestingdeviceinallinstances.
Figure10:TestinglocationsforQoSEtesting
Table6:PlansselectedfromthedifferentoperatorsforQoSEtesting
There are many tools and methods that can be used to measure broadband Quality of Service. Often, theunderlyingmethodologyadoptedisoneofthereasonsastowhyreadingsvastlydifferbasedonthetoolusedfortesting.15LIRNEasiaconsideredOokla’sSpeedTestandtheOpenTechnologyInstitute’sNetworkDiagnosticTool(NDT).Themethodologyof theformer ispartiallyopaquewhereasNDT iswelldocumented(ThemethodologyandtechnicaldetailsoftheNDTcanbefoundathttps://github.com/ndt-project/ndt/wiki/NDTTestMethodology).
Theresearchersconducteddiagnosticsontwoweekdaysandaweekend(fourdaysintotal)duringthesecondweekinMay2016,atmultipletimesoftheday(8:00,11:0015:00,18:0020:00and23:00)toironoutpotentialpeak/off-peaktrafficvariations.
Researcherscoveredlocationsinallthestatesandregions.Thetestinglocationscanbeseeninfigurex.Ideally,multiple locationswouldhavebeencoveredtogeographicallyrepresentastate/region.However,asthiswasaresource-intensiveexercise,one townshipwasselectedper state/ region.Diagnosticswerecarriedout inonelocationpertownship.
The intended use of the server in Bangkok was to replicate it as a locally hosted server. This was the initialhypothesis.However,oncompletionofthediagnosticsitwasevidentthattheNDTserverinneighboringBangkokcannotbeaproxyforaserverwithinthenationaldomain.TraceroutesfromYangontowww.google.comandtotheNDTservers inLAandBangkokillustratetheroutestakenbetweentheclientandserver.SeveralprivateIPaddresses were encountered which are most likely to be within the service provider’s network and packetsreached/wasroutedthroughBangkokafterasignificantnumberofhops.Ideally,alocallyhostedserverwouldbe used to measure broadband QoSE within the local domain.LIRNEasiaisintheprocessofevaluatingthreeothermobileappsandwillemployacrowd-sourcedapproachtoincreasethegeographicalcoverageofmeasuringasbroadbandquality,whichishighlylocationsensitive.
4.2 Capacity building4.2.1 Capacity building for policymakers Attheinitialstatesofprojectplanning,itwasenvisagedthatonecourseone-governmentandone-courseforlegislatorsontelecommunicationsforregulatorswouldbecarriedout.Nocoursestookplaceinthefirstyearof
15Zuhyle,S.&Mirandilla-Santos,G.2015.MeasuringBroadbandPerformance:LessonsLearnt,ChallengesFaced.Availableat:http://www.cprsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/CPR-south-2015_Measuring-Broadband-Performance-Lessons-Learnt-Challenges-Faced_PP21_Final.pdfandBauer,S.etal.2010.UnderstandingBroadbandSpeedMeasurements.MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.Availableat:http://groups.csail.mit.edu/ana/Publications/Understanding_broadband_speed_measurements_bauer_clark_lehr_TPRC_2010.pdf
MPT1 OoredooMyanmar1
TelenorMyanmar1
DataPlan 1.35GB InternetMonthly1.35GB
Smart InternetMonthPack1.25GB
Price MMK6500 MMK6850 MMK6600
AdvertisedSpeed
Notadvertised Notadvertised Upto2Mbps
Validity 30days 30days 30days
theprojectasduetochangesinthepoliticallandscape.TrainingthelegislatorsmayhavebeenredundantduetotheimpendingchangeinCabinetportfolios;gettingtheattentionofothergovernmentofficialsduringthisperiodwasachallengegiventherapidchangesinthepoliticallandscape.Inthesecondyearoftheproject,oncethenewCabinetwasappointed,acourseonsocialmediaande-governmentfor20membersofUnionParliamentwasbeingorganized.Duringthis,arequestcamefrommembersoftheYangonRegionalParliamenttoconductasimilartrainingfortheirentireparliament,andofferedtheirparliamentarypremisesasavenue.Fundsstillremainduetocostsavingsfromorganizingthecourses(duetosavingsonthevenueprimarily).TheinterestofthemembersoftheYangonRegionalParliamentwashighandrequestedfollowupcourses,particularlyforothergovernmentofficials.Hence,anothercourseisbeingconceptualized/organizedontheuseofdataforpolicyforgovernmentofficials.
4.3 Policy intervention 4.3.1 Catalyzing ICT access for the disabled community Myanmar’s2014nationalcensusrevealedthat4.6percentofthepopulationofMyanmarlivedwithdisabilities;2.5percentofthepopulationwasvisuallyimpaired.16AccesstoICTsforthissegmentofthepopulationisproblematic.LIRNEasia’sobjectiveistostepinordertocatalyzetherateatwhichtheygainaccesstoICTs,particularlytheInternet.FollowingmeetingswithmultiplestakeholdersinFebruary2016,anumberofproblemsinaccessibilityofICTsforthedisabledwereidentified.LIRNEasiawrotetotwooperatorssuggestingthatanactionplanwasdrawnuppromoteaccessibilitybythedisabledsuchasprovidingbillingandotherinformationinaccessibleformatsandensuringthatthewebsiteisWCAG2.0compliant.Furtherprogressonthiswasnotmadeduethelackofengagementfromtheoperators.Duringthisvisititwasalsolearntthattechnicalproblemsexistinconvertingdevicessuchaselectronicbookreaders(eg:DAISYreaders)intotheMyanmarlanguage,thoughtherootcausewasunclear.Aleadingfigureinresolvingtechnicalissues,Mr.DipendraManochawasinvitedtoMyanmartoscopeouttheexistingsituationandidentifythebottleneckspreventingthetexttospeechengine(TTS)fromworkingoptimally.Furtherdetailsonhismeetings,findingsandworkcanbeseeninsection5.4.2andAnnex16.Planswerealosunderwaytoorganizeahackathontodevelopapplicationsforthedisabled.However,subsequently,itwaslearntthatotherpartiesinMyanmarwereplanningtorunsimilarprogrammes.Instead,thefocuswasshiftedtowardsworkingwithcontentproviderssuchas7daynewsindevelopingapplicationsintheUnicodefont,whichcouldbereadbyscreenreadingsoftwareneededforthetext-to-speechenginetowork.
4.4 Myanmar advisory board
ThecontractimposedthatLIRNEasiashouldformaprojectadvisoryboardforthisprojecttoevaluateitsworkandprovidesuggestionsforfurtherwork.DrRobertAnderson,professorofcommunication(atSimonFraserUniversity,Canada)andtrained,directoroftheprogramonDevelopmentandSustainability,andwhohasworkedinMyanmarfordecadesandiscurrentlybuildinganetworkofyoungenvironmentalistsinMyanmaragreedtochairthisboard.Theboardmembersare,1.Dr.RobertAnderson-SimonFraserUniversity,Canada2.Dr.ThantThawKuang-MyanmarBookAidandPreservationFoundation
16http://data.unhcr.org/thailand/download.php?id=421
3.VickyBowman-MyanmarCentreforResponsibleBusiness4.NayLinSoe-MyanmarIndependentLivingInitiative5.WaiPhioMyint-MyanmarCentreforResponsibleBusinessThefirstboardmeetingwasheldinJune2016attheSuleShangrilaHotelinYangon.Allbutoneboardmember,VickyBowman(whothenrecommendedanotherboardmemberWaiPhioMyint),theIDRCprojectofficerPhetSayo,PraneshPrakashofCIS,thefoundingmembersofMIDO(HtaikeHtaikeAung,PhyuPhyuThi,WaiMyoHtutandYatanarHtun)andrepresentativesfromLIRNEasia(HelaniGalpaya,RohanSamarajivaandGayaniHurulle)werepresentattheboardmeeting.LIRNEasia’sworkinMyanmarwaspresentedtotheboard,anddiscussionensued.
5. Project outputs and dissemination 5.1 Research outputs Table7:Researchoutputs
Researchreports
Galpaya,H.,Zainudeen,A.&Suthaharan,P.(2015)AbaselinesurveyofICTandknowledgeaccessinMyanmar
Researchreportbasedonbaselinequantitativestudy
Complete Annex1
Zainudeen,A.&Galpaya,H.(2015)Mobilephones,internetandgenderinMyanmar
Researchreportbasedonqualitativestudy
Complete Annex2
Cihon,P.&Galpaya,H.(2017)Navigatingthewalledgarden:FreeandsubsidizeddatauseinMyanmar
Researchreportbasedonqualitativeresearch
Complete Annex3
Zuhyle,S.(2016)QualityofServiceExperiencedbyMobileBroadbandusersinMyanmar
ResearchreportbasedonfirstroundofQoSEtesting
Complete Annex4
PublicationsParekh,P.,Ling,R.,Zainudeen,A.&Galpaya,H.(2017) Rationalizationofmobiletelephonybysmall-scaleentrepreneursinMyanmar.
ReadyforpeerreviewNotethepaperwaswritteninthecurrentcyclethoughtheresearchwasdoneunderthepreviousgrant/cycle
Draft Annex5
Conferencepapers
Galpaya,H.,Zainudeen,A.,Rajapakse,C.,Kapugama,N.(2015).Information/communicationhabitsandneedsofthelowincomemicroentrepreneursinMyanmarandtheroleformobilephones.
ConferencepaperpresentedatCPRsouth2016,Taipei,Taiwan.Notethepaperwaswritteninthecurrentcyclethoughtheresearchwasdoneunderthepreviousgrant/cycle
Complete Annex6
Samarajiva,R.&Hurulle,G.(2016)Regulationunderconstrainedcapacity:LessonsforMyanmar
ConferencepaperpresentedatITS,Taiwan
Complete Annex7
Galpaya,H.,Zainudeen,A.andHurulle,G.(2016)Factorsaffectingwomen'sabilitytopurchasemobilephonesinMyanmar.
ConferencepaperpresentedatCPRsouth2016
Complete Annex8
Suthaharan,P.,Zainudeen,A.,andGalpaya,H.(2016)UnderstandingGenderVarianceinMobileOwnershipinMyanmar
ConferencepaperpresentedatCPRsouth2016
Complete Annex9
Rajapakse,C.N.,Zainudeen,A.,Galpaya,H.,andSuthaharan,P.(2016)FactorsinfluencinguseofmobiledataservicesamongwomeninMyanmar
ConferencepaperpresentedatCPRsouth2016
Complete Annex10
Samarajiva,R.(2016)Policychallengesinembracingmobiletechnologytopromotesocioeconomicdevelopment:ThecaseofMyanmar
Conferencepaperpresentedat QualComm-LKYSchoolResearchConference
Complete Annex11
OtherGalpaya,H.,Zainudeen,A.,Suthaharan,P.,Hurulle,G.,Aung,H.H.&Thi,P.P.(2016)Mobilephones,Internet,informationandknowledge:Myanmar2016
SlidesetpresentedtotheDeputyMinisterofTransportandCommunications,andmediaandcivilsocietyorganizations
Complete Annex12
5.2 Dissemination 5.2.1 LIRNEasia organized events 5.2.1.1Demandsideresearch:QuantitativeEventswereorganizedinYangonandNayPyiTawtodisseminatetheresultsofthebaselinesurveytokeystakeholders.Thefindingsofthebaselinesurveywerepresentedtomembersofunionparliament,mobileoperators,NGOS,themediaandotherstakeholdersattheSuleShangriLa,Yangonon29thJuly2015.HelaniGalpayacarriedouta50minutepresentationofthekeyfindingsofthenation-widesurvey.Thebooktitled“MobileCommunication”byRichLingandJonathanDonnerwhichwastranslatedintoBarmawasformallypresentedtoUKyawMinandUMyintOo(MembersofParliament,Myanmar)byNaserFaruqui(IDRC)andRohanSamarajiva(LIRNEasia)atthisevent.Copiesofthebookweremadeavailabletoallparticipantsattheevent.AcomprehensiveQ&Asessionfollowedthepresentation,withHelaniGalpaya,PhyuPhyuThi(MIDO)andHtunHtunOo(ThirdEyeCo.Ltd)takingquestionsfromtheaudience.ThefindingswerealsopresentedtoUThaungTin,UnionDeputyMinisterofCommunicationandInformationTechnologyandotherGovernmentofficersattheAureumPalaceHotel,NayPyiTawon30thJuly2015.AcomprehensiveQ&Awascarriedoutafterthe50minutepresentationbyHelaniGalpaya.Severalcopiesofthetranslatedversionof“MobileCommunication”werepresentedtotheDeputyMinister.TheeventreportcanbefoundinAnnex17TheresearchfindingswerealsosharedwithmembersofUnionandYangonRegionalParliamentasapartofacourseonsocialmediaandICTsforimprovedgovernanceinJune2016.Seesection5.4forfurtherdetails.Aneventwasorganizedon17December2016attheNovotel,Yangontodisseminatetheresultsofthefollow-upsurveytothemediaandotherstakeholders.HelaniGalpayacarriedoutapresentationthekey-findingsofthesurvey.Anumberofmediainterviewsfollowed.Mr.NayLinSoe,amemberoftheMyanmaradvisoryboardalsogaveinterviewstothemediaonaccessibilityofICTstothedisabled.AneventreportcanbefoundonAnnex185.2.1.2Demandsideresearch:QualitativeHelaniGalpayapresentedthefindingsofthejointresearchbyGSMAConnectedWomen&LIRNEasiaon“Mobilephones,internet&genderinMyanmar”attheChatriumHotel,Yangonon8April2016.TheeventorganizedbyLIRNEasiaandMIDOwasusedasaforumtodiscussissuespertainingtogenderandICTsinMyanmaratlarge.
Samarajiva,R.&Hurulle,G.(2016)PerformanceofUniversalServiceFunds:India,MalaysiaandPakistan
SlidesetpresentedatInternationalCouncilofCommunicationsConference
Complete Annex13
AResearchDesignfortheAssessmentoftheSocioeconomicEffectsofImprovingtheStrengthofMobilePhoneSignalinMyanmar
Quantitativestudy Draft Annex14
KhinSandarWin&HtlaSanHtwepresentedtherationalebehindandtheworkingsoftheUNDPiWomenapplicationwhileHtaikeHtaikeAungofMIDOspokeoftheroleofwomenasappdevelopers,hackersandcoders.TheeventwaswellattendeddespiteitbeingheldonthelastworkingdaypriortotheNewYearWaterFestivalholidays.Noteworthywasthelargemediapresence,withtheeventbeingcoveredbymultipleprint,televisionandonlinemediaoutlets.Diversestakeholderssuchmobileoperators,appdevelopersandNGOsalsoparticipatedattheevent,engagingdeeplywiththepresenter.TheresultsofthegenderqualitativewerealsopresentedtoMarlaBu,RegulatoryAffairsattheOoredooMyanmarheadofficeon7April2016.Theeventreportcanbeaccessedhere
5.2.2 Meetings 5.2.2.1Demandsideresearch:Quantitative5.2.2.1.1 2015 baseline researchHelaniGalpayapresentedthefindingsoftheMyanmarbaselinesurveytotwosmallergroupsonthe28thofJulyinYangon;1.TheICT4DWorkingGroupatthePhandeeyarauditorium:theICTDWorkingGroupisagatheringofallorganizations(donors,civilsocietymostly,butafewprivatesectororganizations)implementingand/orfundingICTDprojectsinMyanmar.PhandeeyaristhemaininnovationhubinYangon,andagatheringplaceforalltechiesandvenueforhackathons.2.GunnarBertelsen,ChiefCorporateAffairsOfficerofTelenorMyanmarattheTelenorOffice,YangonRohanSamarajivametwiththePresidentandGeneralSecretaryoftheMyanmarComputerFederation(MCF),pursuanttosuchsuggestionmadetohimbyUThaungTin.Thismeetingwasheldonthe28thofJulyattheMCFofficeinYangon.5.2.2.1.2 2016 follow-up surveyLIRNEasiaCEOHelaniGalpayaandtheMIDOco-founders(PhyuPhyuThi,HtaikeHtaikeAungandWaiMyoHtut)metwiththeDeputyMinisterofTransportandCommunications,UKyawMyotopresenttheresultsofthe2016follow-upsurveyofICTuseinMyanmar.USaiSawLinTun,DeputyDirectorGeneraloftheITandCyberSecurityDepartmentintheMinistryandotherofficialswerealsopresent.
5.2.2.2BroadbandQoSEtestingTheresultsofthefirstroundofBroadbandQoSEtestingwasdisseminatedtothethreeoperators
Table8:Meetings-disseminationofBBQoSEtesting
Operator Dateandlocationofmeeting AttendeesMPT 22June,MPT-BoAungKyaw
officeCherryMyoTint,DeputyChiefTechnologyOfficer
TelenorMyanmar 21June-TelenorMyanmarHeadOffice
GunnarBertelsen,ChiefCorporateAffairsOfficerJaiPrakash,ChiefTechnologyOfficer
OoredooMyanmar 21June-OoredooMyanmarHeadOffice
ChristopherPierce,ChiefLegalandRegulatoryOfficerBobMcDonald,LegalandRegulatoryAdvisor
5.2.3 Participation at conferences, panel discussions and workshops WSISForum,Geneva,June2015The2015WSISForumheldinGeneva,SwitzerlandinJune2015wasattendedbyHelaniGalpaya.UN-DESAITUexpertgroupmeeting,NewYork,June2015HelaniGalpayaparticipatedintheUN-DESAandITUorganizedexpertgroupmeetinginNewYork,USAinJune2015.ICTD2015Conference,Singapore,July2015LIRNEasiaparticipatedinanopensessiononMyanmarattheICTDConferenceinSingaporeinMay2015.Apresentationtitled“Knowledge,informationandcommunicationhabitsandneedsinMyanmar:Storiesfromthefield”wasmadetothoseinattendance.
AsiaPacificRegionalInternetGovernanceForum(IGF),Macau,July2015Apresentationtitled“Whatdouserswant?Datafromthelast“greenfield”market,Myanmar”waspresentedbyRohanSamarajivaattheAsiaPacificRegionalIGFinMacauinJuly2015.CommunicAsia,Singapore,July2015LIRNEasiaorganizedandmoderatedapaneldiscussiononMyanmaratCommunicAsiainSingaporeinJuly2015.StockholmInternetForum,Sweden,Oct2015ApaneldiscussionattheStockholmInternetForuminOctober2015wasorganizedandmoderatedbyLIRNEasia.Theorganization’s‘allfronts’approachwasusedasaframeworkforthediscussionandasubsetofthefindingsofthebaselinesurveywerepresentedattheforum.RohanSamarajivawasthemoderatorofthesessionwhilepanelistsincludedHtaikeHtaikeAungandYatanarHtunofMIDOandEiMyatNoeKhinofPhandeeyar.InternetGovernanceForum,JoaoPassoa,Brazil,Nov2015HelaniGalpayaparticipatedin8sessions(3mainsessions,4workshops,onepre-IGFevent).Inallbut2oftheseevents,theresultsoftheMyanmarhouseholdsurveywerereferencedtoprovidecontextforthediscussions.
JointQualComm-LKYSchoolResearchConference,Singapore,April2016RohanSamarajivapresentedthepaperPolicychallengesinembracingmobiletechnologytopromotesocioeconomicdevelopment:ThecaseofMyanmarinSingapore.Thefullpapercanbeaccessedinannex11UNCommissiononScienceTechnologyandDevelopment(UNCSTD)panel,Geneva,Switzerland,May2016TheresearchfromthisprojectprovidedthebasisofevidenceatLIRNEasia’spresentationmadebyHelaniGalpayaatthe19thsessionoftheUNCSTD(CommissiononScienceTechnologyandDevelopment)inGeneva,SwitzerlandinMay2016.InternationalTelecommunicationSocietyBiennialConference,Taipei,Taiwan,Jun2016RohanSamarajivapresentedthefindingsofthepaperRegulationunderconstrainedcapacity:LessonsforMyanmaratthe21stbiennialconferenceoftheInternationalTelecommunicationsSocietyinTaiwan.ReferAnnex7toaccessthepaper.
CPRsouth,Zanzibar,Tanzania,Sep2016GayaniHurulle,SuthaharanPerampalamandChiranthiRajapaksepresentedthreepaperspertaininggenderandICTsinMyanmarbasedonthebaselinesurveyfindings.ReferAnnex8,9and10toaccessthepapers.InternationalInstituteofCommunicationsAnnualConference,Bangkok,Thailand,Oct2016RohanSamarajivapresentedresearchconductedontheefficacyofUniversalServiceFunds,whichwastobeusedabaseforpolicyinterventiononUSFsinMyanmar.ReferAnnex13toaccesstheslidesetA4AIGendercoalitionmeeting,Yangon,Myanmar,Nov2016HelaniGalpayapresentedthepreliminaryresultsofthe2016survey,pertainingtotheuseandaccessofICTsbywomen.InternetGovernanceForum,Gualadajara,Mexico,Dec2016DatafromthetwosurveysaswellasgeneraldataonMyanmarwereusedinmultiplepanelsattheIGF.
MyanmarDigitalRightsForum,Yangon,Dec2016HelaniGalpayaparticipatedintheMyanmarDigitalRightsForuminYangon,MyanmarinDecember2016andpresenteddatafromthe2016survey.ICT4DWorkingGroup,Yangon,Myanmar,Feb2016HtaikeHtaikeAungpresentedthedataofthefollow-upsurveyattheICT4Dworkinggroupdiscussionson22February2017atPhandeeyar.5.2.4 News/media coverage Table9:Mediacoverage
Date Publisher Nameofarticle(linkifany) Author
08/03/16 MyanmarTimes
OoredoolaunchesK30,000smartphone
CatherineTrautwein
09/04/16 ElevenNews �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
23/06/16 MyanmarTimes
Theeconomyneedsmorewomenworking ThinYeeMonSu
12/12/16 ElevenNews Women'sITskillslagging:study
17/12/16 DailyEleven Despitetelecommunicationsadvances,digitalliteracyweak,particularlyamongstwomen(translated)
NayMyoTun
17/12/17 7DayDaily FacebookusersinMyanmarisabout12million(translated)
MyintKyawHlaing
18/12/16 7DayDaily ICTimprovementsinMyanmar(translated) MyintKyawHlaing
20/12/16 Myawaddy Digitalliteracyrateneedstobeimprovedinthecountry
21/12/16 NewsdayNew
78%smartphoneusageinMyanmarsimilartothatintheUSA
ZawMin
25/12/16 UnionDaily Facingdifficultiesingettingfullpotentialofopportunitiesandotherservicesduetolackofdigitalliteracy
MayLwin
27/12/16 7DayDaily Asurveyshowsthatthereissometroubleamongstlocalmobilephoneusersinfindinginformation
MyintKyawHlaing
TV
09/04/16 Skynet Mobilephone,internet&genderlaunchevent
09/04/16 MRTV Mobilephone,internet&genderlaunchevent
09/04/16 MNTV Mobilephone,internet&genderlaunchevent
23/12/16 MBC ICThabitsandneeds
Radio
09/04/16 FMBagan Mobilephone,internet&genderlaunchevent
17/12/16 PadmayarFM
ICTuseandinformationneeds
Web
06/04/16 InternetJournal
GSMAConnectedWomen������������������������������������
09/04/16 KamayutMedia
Mobilephone,internet&genderlaunchevent
16/12/16 NewsWatch Myanmar’ssmartphoneusageisnowalmostthatofUS:LIRNEasia(translated)
19/12/16 InternetJournal
LIRNEasiashowedthatamongmobileownersaged15-65inMyanmar,21percentuseFacebookdaily(translated)
TunTun
Table10:Blogposts
Date Nameofblogpost(linkifany) Author
13/03/16 LIRNEasiaresearchcitedinreportonUSD25smartphoneinMyanmar
RohanSamarajiva
03/04/16 OoredooMyanmar’sdatasuccessstory RohanSamarajiva
09/04/16 GSMAConnectedWomen-LIRNEasiafindingson“Mobilephones,internet&genderinMyanmar”launchedinYangon
GayaniHurulle
22/04/16 WhatcanonesayaboutpolicybarrierstomobilecommunicationinASEAN?
RohanSamarajiva
16/05/16 MIDOcontinuesraisingawarenessonhowICTscanservepersonswithdisabilities
RohanSamarajiva
31/05/16 AssessmentofMediaDevelopmentinMyanmar:LIRNEasia’sBaselineSurveyResultsQuoted
SuthaharanPerampalam
21/06/16 TrainingprogramforMyanmarUnionLegislators RohanSamarajiva
24/06/16 E-govcourseforparliamentariansoftheYangonRegionalHluttaw GayaniHurulle
29/06/16 WhatcanMyanmarlearnfromitspeersasitsetsupitsICTregulatoryagency?
RohanSamarajiva
20/07/16 LIRNEasia-GSMAresearchongenderdimensionsofMyanmarteleusereported
RohanSamarajiva
26/08/16 LinkingtheAsiaPacificInformationSuperhighwaytotheuserexperienceandInternettakeupintheAsiaPacific
RohanSamarajiva
29/08/16 MyanmarappearstohavemoreInternet(oratleastFacebook)usersthananySAsiancountry
RohanSamarajiva
22/11/16 LIRNEasiasourceofMyanmarsmartphonedatainMeasuringInformationSociety2016Report
RohanSamarajiva
17/12/16 Firstcoveragefor2016Myanmarteleusestudy RohanSamarajiva18/12/16 Myanmar2016ICTsurveyreleasedinYangon 18/12/16 Step1inICTsforthevisualdisabledinMyanmar:bringing
stakeholderstogethertofindthetechnicalsolutionHelaniGalpaya
18/12/16 LIRNEasiaatMyanmarDigitalRightsForum HelaniGalpaya
5.3 Capacity building 5.3.1 Capacity building for LIRNEasia Inthepast,LIRNEasiaworkedwithqualitativeresearchpartnerssuchasCKSIndia,whowouldinturnsub-contractwithalocal(Myanmarese)firmtodothelocallanguagemoderation,translation/interpretationandrespondentrecruitment.ButforthestudyonICTsandgender,,LIRNEasialiaseddirectlywithMyanmarSurveyResearch(MSR),thefieldresearchagency,whencarryingoutthequalitativestudy,insteadofhavingathirdpartysuchasCKSinthemiddle.ThelackofathirdpartyledtoknowledgecreationforLIRNEasiaintermsofsampledesignandinstrumentdesigninamuchmoredirectandthoroughformthanpreviously.Furthermore,capacitywasbuiltonanorganizationallevelduetolearningtousetheNvivo,aqualitativedataanalysiscomputersoftware. LIRNEasiastaffarealsotakingalargerroleintheconductofanimpactevaluationusingthesurveydata.AlargeportionoftheworkinthelatterstagesoftheanalysiswillbeconductedbytheLIRNEasiaresearchersundertheguidanceofJorgeGarciaHombardos.
5.3.2 Capacity building for MIDO
PhyuPhyuThi,ResearchDirectorforMIDOjoinedLIRNEasiainthefieldduringthequantitativeresearchinboth2015and2016.Hercapacityinallaspectsofqualitativeresearchwasdeveloped–includingqualitycontrol,becauseshewastaskedspecificallywithcallingbackrandomlyselectedrespondentstovalidatetheiranswers.Shealsomoderatedthefocusgroupdiscussionsinthequalitativeresearchonfreeandsubsidizeddata.OtherMIDOemployeeshavealsobecomemoreinvolvedintheresearchconductedinMyanmar.HtaikeHtaikeAungandHninNuNuNiangjoinedintheobservationoffieldworkforthe2016survey,andotherstaffalsoconductedthebackchecksonthesurvey(callingarandomlyselectednumberofsurveyparticipantstoverifytheiranswerstosurveyquestions,inorderensurequalityofthefieldworkteams).WithLIRNEasia’sguidanceMIDOstaffalsorecruitedparticipantsforthefreeandsubsidizeddataresearch(co-fundedbyMozillaandGoogle)andalsoconductedthefocusgroupsandprovidedtranslationservices.MIDOstaffalsoassistedinrecruitmentandtestingfortheBBQoSEtestingundertheguidanceofLIRNEasiastaff.MIDO’scommunicationofficer,MyoMinAung,isthecontactpointforLIRNEasia’sworkinMyanmarandhasworkedwithLIRNEasiastafftoorganizemultipledisseminationeventsandcourses.Hehasalsoworkedondisseminatingthe2016surveyresearchandhasgiveninterviewstomediaoutletsatdisseminationevents.PrashanthiWeragoda(SeniorFinanceManger,LIRNEasia)andPriyadarshiniLiyanage(Account,LIRNEasia)spentaweekinYangoninApril2016toconductfinancialtrainingforMIDO’sfinancialofficerandseniorstaff.Thefinanceexpertsassessedthestatusquooffinancialsonsubjectssuchaspettycash,banktransactions,salaries,fixedassets.Theimportanceofpettycashprocedureswereexplainedandformshandedover.Theexistingpurchasingprocedurewasreviewedandchangesweresuggested.Cashmanagementprocedureswerediscussedwiththefinanceofficer.ItwasrecommendedthataprofessionallyqualifiedaccountantwashiredandthataMIDOofficerwastrainedonanaccountingsoftware.MIDOhassubsequentlyreportedthattheirfinancialofficerhadattendedtrainingonQuickbooks-anaccountingsoftware,andspokenoftheirintentiontohireanaccountant,atleastoneparttimebasis.
HelaniGalpayaalongwithPrashanthiWeragodaandPriyadarshiniLiyanage,alsospentahalfdaysessionon9April2016withtheMIDOseniorstafftoprovidetrainingonbudgetingandprojectreporting.NoteworthyisthatMIDOhasbeenabletoobtainabusinessregistrationcertificate,andisnowoperatingasaregisteredentityinMyanmar.
5.3.3 Capacity building for policymakersTwocoursestitled‘SocialmediaandICTsforimprovedgovernance:Egovforparliamentarians’tookplaceinYangoninJuly2016.ItisnoteworthythatthecoursesweredesignedinresponsetorequestsmadebytheParliamentarians.
1.UnionParliamentLIRNEasiaandMIDOorganizedadaylongcoursefor20legislatorsfromtheUpperandLowerhousesoftheMyanmarUnionParliamentattheChatriumHotel,Yangonon21June2016.Asingleparticipantwasfemale.RohanSamarajivaspokeofthesignificanceofICTstolegislators,legislationandtheneedforindependentregulation.HelaniGalpayasharedtheresultsofthe2015surveyonICTuseandinformationneeds,andspokeonthetopicofzeroratingandnet-neutrality.PhyuPhyuThiandHninNuNuNaingmadeapresentationonMynamar’sexperiencewithonlinehatespeech.
AneventreportcanbefoundonAnnex19
2.YangonRegionalParliamentAtwodaycourseorganizedbyLIRNEasiaandMIDOtookplaceon22and23Junewithintheparliamentarypremises.ItsawtheparticipationofrepresentativesfromNationalLeagueforDemocracy(NLD),theMilitaryandUnionSolidarityandDevelopmentParty(USDP).87Parliamentariansparticipatedintotal,withover80attendeeseachday.15ofthe87parliamentarians(17%)werefemale.WhileProfSamarajivaspokeofthesignificanceofICTstolegislators,improvinggovernmentservicedeliveryandmobilephonesandhealthconcerns,HelaniGalpayasharedthefindingsofthe2016surveyandconductedasessiononhowtomeasureprogress.HtiakeHtaikeAungandYatanarHtunspokeontheuseofapplicationswhilePraneshPrakashdiscussedopensourceandsecurityissues.ManyMPsalsovisitedthedigitalsecurityclinicforonetooneconsultationsonhowtheycouldsecuretheirsocialmediaaccounts.Thepresentationswerewell-received,withthecontentandspeakersgettingaratingof4outof5onaverage.Participantscommentedontheusefulnatureofthecourseandspokeofhowsuchtrainingwouldalsobeusefulforothergovernmentofficials.AneventreportcanbefoundonAnnex20
5.4 Policy intervention 5.4.1 Telecommunications
5.4.1.1TelecommunicationsMasterplan(Annex21)TheMinistryofCommunicationsandInformationTechnology(MCIT)publishedadraftTelecommunicationsMasterplanfortheRepublicoftheUnionofMyanmarinJuly2015.LIRNEasiaandMIDOjointlysubmittedrecommendationsfortheMyanmarTelecommunicationsMasterplanon7thAugust2015.Recommendationsweremadeonarangeoftopicsincludingthelanguagetobeusedforthedraftingofthepolicy,thelackofclarityonthedesignofuniversalservicefundsandthelackofadequateconsiderationmadetotheexecutionofpolicymechanisms.Furthermore,HtaikeHtaikeAungofMIDOtraveledtoNayPyiTawandprovidedcommentsontheMasterplan.
5.4.1.2InternationalGatewayFacilityServices(Annex22)AdraftversionoftheGuidelinesonProvisionofInternationalGatewayFacilityServiceswaspublishedbytheMCITinOctober2015.LIRNEasiaandMIDO,submittedawrittenresponsewithsuggestionsforimprovementstotheguidelineswhilecommendingtheeffortsoftheMCITtoliberalizethetelecommunicationsservicesmarket.Recommendationsincludedallowingthecreationofmultiplegatewaysbasedonmultiplemedia,removalofdifferentialdomesticandinternationalterminationpricingandgivingnecessaryconsiderationtodatacommunication.
5.4.1.3AllocationofSpectrumFrequency(Annex23)TheMinistryofCommunicationsandInformationTechnology(MCIT)publishedaconsultationpapertitled'SpectrumRoadmap:Meettheneedoverthenext5years'on1stFebruary2016.RohanSamarajivaandMoinulZaberrespondedtotheconsultationpapersubmittingaresponsethatplacedemphasisonprinciplesimportanttoensuretheefficientuseofthespectrumasset.Theyaddressedthequestionsof1.NeutralityofBandandTechnology2.Opportunitytorefarmandrepurposealreadyacquiredbands3.Embeddingallauctionsandassignmentswithinapre-announcedandcrediblyimplementedroadmapformakingspectrumresourcesavailabletooperators4.Useofcarefullydesignedandwelltimedauctionsasallocationmethod5.Formulatingalicensingregimethatclearlysetoutconditionsforentrytoandexitfromthemarket6.UseofnewmethodssuchasharnessingBigDatatoformulateplansagainstharmfulinterference.
5.4.1.4DesignofregulatoryagencyandapolicyunitwithintheMinistry(Annex24)HtaikeHtaikeAungofMIDO,undertheguidanceofRohanSamarajiva,providedrecommendationsonthedesignoftheregulatoryagency,theMyanmarTelecommunicationsCommissionasprovidedforbytheTelecomLaw.FurtherrecommendationsincludedtheestablishmentofapolicyunitwithintheMinistry.
5.4.2 Disabled friendly devices LIRNEasia,alongwithMIDOandCentreforInternet&Society(CIS)areworkingtowardsensuringtheparticipationofdifferentlyabledindividualsinthemobileandInternetrevolutionsinMyanmar.RohanSamarajiva(Chair,LIRNEasia)andNirmitaNarasimhan(PolicyDirector,CIS)metwithamultitudeofstakeholderstodiscussissuesrelatedtoe-accessibilityforpersonswithdisabilities.NirmitaNarasimhamwasinstrumentalinengagingwithkeystakeholdersinthefieldbymakingrecommendationsonpolicyleveldecisionsthatcouldbemadetosupportdisabilityaccess.Facetofacemeetingstookplaceon3rdand4thFebruary2016withthefollowingindividuals.1.ChristopherPeirce-OoredooMyanmar2.PatriciaCurran-TelenorMyanmar3.AungLwinOo-KyeeMyinDianSchoolfortheBlind4.NayLinSoe-MyanmarIndependentLivingInitiative5.SarahOh-Phandeeyar6.KyawKyaw-MyanmarDeafCommunityDevelopmentAssociation7.ThantThawKuang-MyanmarBookAidandPreservationFoundation8.VickyBowman-MyanmarCentreforResponsibleBusinessTherolesthateachpartycouldplayinmakinginformationresourcesavailableandaccessibletoindividualswithdisabilitieswasdiscussedatlengthandfollowupconversationstodiscusstheseactionpointswereinitiated.Annexures11to15containthefollowupnotessenttovariousstakeholders.Annex25-ChristopherPeirce-OoredooMyanmarAnnex26-PatriciaCurran-TelenorMyanmarAnnex27-NayLinSoe-MyanmarIndependentLivingInitiativeAnnex28-ThantThawKuang-MyanmarBookAidandPreservationFoundationAnnex29-VickyBowman-MyanmarCentreforResponsibleBusinessDuringthesevisits,LIRNEasialearntofanumberofissuesthatsurroundtheuseofICTsforthedisabled.Theneedtoresolveissuesinscreenreadingsoftwaretoproduceaworkabletext-to-speechenginefortheblindinMyanmarwasoneofthekeyissuesidentifiedduringthecourseofthisproject.Mr.DipendraManocha,whohadworkedextensivelyinsuchsituationsinothercountriessuchasIndia,wasinvitedtoMyanmarforthispurpose.Mr.ManochaandPiyushChanana,aresearcheratIITDelhiwereinMyanmarfrom13-18December2016.Mr.ManochamadeapresentationattheMyanmarDigitalRightsForumduringhisstay.ToresolveissueswiththeTTSengine,theyhadmeetingswith1. Rev.TheinLwin:GeneralSecretary,YangonChristianFellowshipfortheBlind,MyaThidaLwin,VicePrincipalYangonEducationCenterfortheBlindandMr.Bananan(whodemonstratedtheuseoftheexistingTTSengine)2.BenedictLaHkun,ProgrammeManagerofICT,MyanmarNationalAssociationoftheBlindAungNaingTun,MyanmarNationalAssociationoftheBlind(MNAB)3.MinMaung(BoBo),AungLwinOo
Followingthesemeetings,itwasidentifiedthatresolvingissuesine-Speak,anlightweightopensourceTTS,wouldbethelowhangingfruitinprovidingaccessibilitytotheblinddespiteitsroboticvoice.TheMNABwasworkingongettingtheMyanmarlanguageontoe-Speaksince2013,buthadhitmultipleroadblocks.
Table11:ProgresstowardsaworkableTTSengine
Problemtype Problem Intervention ProgressCommunicationsgap
MyanmarlanguagenotincludedineSpeakNGrepository
ConnectingwitheSpeak FilesinMyanmarlanguageuploaded.AssessmentsbeingmadebyeSpeak
Technologygap PunctuationmarksnotbeingrecognisedbyeSpeak
Connectingwithcoderswhohadworkedonsuchissuesinotherlanguages
FeedbackreceivedErrorsbeingrectified
Potentialunavailabilityofaccessiblecontentwasanotherkeyareaidentified:thiswasduetotheneedforwebsites/applicationstobeWCAG2.0complianttobereadbyscreenreadingsoftware.PreliminarystepsarebeingtakenwithMIDOtoconductanauditofallGovernmentwebsitestocheckiftheyareWCAG2.0compliant.ThefindingswouldthenbesynthesizedtocommunicateresultsofaudittopolicymakersMeetingswerealsoheldwiththepublisherofthe7Daynewspaper.ItwasrevealedthattheirwebsiteisnotWCAG2.0compliant.ItalsousestheZawgyifont,whichisnotUnicodecompatible.FollowingmeetingswithMr.Manocha,theMDofthenewspaperofferedtoshifttheirapplicationtoUnicodefont.
6. Impact TheresultsofLIRNEasia’sbaselinesurveyonICTusehasbeencommunicatedtopolicymakers,includingtheUnionDeputyMinister.LIRNEasiadatawasusedtotrackMyanmar’sprogressinICTsintheITU’sflagshipreportMeasuringInformationSociety2016,UNESCO’sAssessmentofMediaDevelopmentinMediareportandA4AI’s2015Affordabilityreport.OfficialsfromtheMinistryofTransportandCommunicationsinMyanmararequotingthefindingsfromthe2016.ItwasquotedbyUMyoSwe,DeputyDirectorGeneralofthePostandTelecommunicationsDepartmentataconsultativeworkshoponuniversalservicestrategy,designandimplementationheldinFebruary2017inYangon.
Thejointstudyonwomen’saccesstomobilephonesanddataserviceswasadirectresultofdisseminationofthebaselinesurveyfindings.Alargelistofpolicyrecommendationshasresultedfromthisstudy,targetedatimprovingwomen’saccessanddigitalskills.MeetingshavetakenplacewiththetelecommunicationsoperatorsontheresultsofthebaselinesurveyandonthevariousstepsthatcouldbetakentoenableICTusebythedisabled.ProgressisbeingmadebridgingcommunicationsandtechnologygapsintheMyanmarlanguageine-SpeakinanefforttobuildausableTTSengine.LIRNEasiainteracteddirectlywithpolicymakerswhenconductingthecoursesonSocialmediaandICTsforimprovedgovernance.Wehadtheopportunitytotrain20membersofUnionParliamentandnearly90membersofYangonRegionalParliamentontheissue.Legislationpertainingtothecoursematerialwillbetracked.LIRNEasiahasalsoprovidedinputintothedraftingofnewpoliciesandguidelinesbyparticipatinginpublicconsultationprocesses.(Annexures21to24)TheTelecommunicationsMasterplanisyettobepublished,anditwillhavetobeanalyzedtoknowtherealimpactofLIRNEasiaandMIDO’sinput.TheadoptionofspectrumpolicyinMyanmarhasbeenpostponedfollowingthesubmissionofresponsestotheconsultationpaper.
TrainingMIDOonresearchandresearchmethodsyieldedresultsbyPhyuPhyuThibeingreceivingagrantfromtheUnderstandingMyanmarresearchprogrammefromChiangmaiUniversity,Thailand.
MIDOhasalsobeenextremelyactiveinthepolicyinterventionprocess.TheyactivelypartookinprovidingresponsestodraftpolicydocumentsandframeworksinthecountryfollowingitsengagementwithLIRNEasia,MIDOhasstartedpartakingactivelyininternationalconferences.InJuly2015,PhyuPhyuThisubmittedawrittendocumentthatwasdiscussedattheRegionalInternetGovernanceForuminMacau.YatanarHtunandHtaikeHtaikeAungparticipatedinapaneldiscussiononMyanmarattheStockholmInternetForuminSwedeninOctober2015.Inawide-ranginginterviewwiththeAustrianAcademicJournalASEAS,HtaikeHtaikeAungandPhyuPhyuThitalkaboutMIDOandhowtheyapproachpolicyproblemsintheICTspace.
Onabroadscale,oneofLIRNEasia’skeyobjectivewastoplayaroleinincreasingtheInternetsubscriptionsandusersper100toabovetheaverageofcomparatorcountries.ITUdataindicatesthatInternetuserper100numberswereatwereat0.18tenyearsagoin2006andbutstoodat2.1in2014.Thiscorrespondstotheresponsetoourquestioninthequantativestudycarriedoutin2015ontheuseoftheInternetthroughabrowseronanydeviceinthepast12months.However,thestudyalsoshowedthatusersaccessedtheinternet
viamobiledeviceswithoutknowledgeofaccess,particularlythroughapplicationssuchasFacebook.Itwasreportedthatthenumberofmobilebroadbandsubscriptionscominginto2015was8million17
17http://www.budde.com.au/Research/Myanmar-Burma-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Internet.html
7. Recommendations
WorkinginMyanmarcontinuestobeachallengeIn2015-16,allprojectactivitieswerepostponedbyoverninemonthsduetouncertaintiescreatedduetothegeneralelections.
TheprevalenceofonlinehatespeechhasbeenwidelydiscussedinMyanmar.Concernsonprivacyandsecurityhavealsobeenechoedinthepublicarena.However,thelackofdemandsizeresearchonthetopichasbeenobserved-LIRNEasiaisexploringthepossibilityofbridgingthisgap.Thetwo-daycourseonsocialmediaandICTsfore-governmentattheYangonregionalparliamentresultedinrequestsforasecondcourse.Wearehenceincontactwiththeregionalparliamentaryauthoritiesonafollow-upcourse.Meanwhile,thelackofindicatorsdepictinggrowthinMyanmar’sgrowthfromgovernmentwasobserved.LIRNEasiaismakingattemptstoorganizeacourseinNayPyiTawondevelopingindicatorsforMyanmar,contingentondemandfromtheMinistryofTransportandCommunications.