In Myanmar’s war zones, the internet is more than just a tool for communication – it’s a lifeline. Timely information about military raids and airstrikes can mean the difference between life and death. Internet access also allows citizens to inform the world about human rights violations or stay connected with family and friends.
However, accessing the internet is a real struggle in some parts of the country. The most well-known barrier is shutdowns imposed by the military junta as a counter-insurgency tactic. According to a Myanmar Internet Project database, there have been 291 internet shutdowns across the country since the February 2021 coup. Eighty out of the 330 townships in Myanmar are now completely cut off.
Infrastructure damage from the conflict is also a major factor, particularly as resistance groups try to disrupt regime operations and businesses. State media reported that in 2021 alone, members of the resistance destroyed more than 400 cell towers, most of them operated by the partly military owned company Mytel. Financial, technical and logistical challenges also hinder the restoration of communication infrastructure in areas taken over by resistance armies.
Alternative communication technologies have therefore become vital for accessing and disseminating critical information. Long-range mesh networking devices are frequently used in displaced persons’ camps and hospitals, while range extenders are used to expand poor-quality 2G connections. Organisations with more money, meanwhile, use geostationary orbit satellite internet solutions such as Inmarsat, IPSTAR and Thuraya. Starlink, a cheaper low Earth orbit solution, is currently the most popular satellite communication service for both organisations and individuals.
Each alternative communication method, however, has its own advantages and drawbacks, which I discuss below.
Hand-held transceivers (walkie-talkies)
Although a well-established technology, walkie-talkies have become expensive in Myanmar. They were only K100,000 or less before the coup, but now cost about K800,000 (or US$170 at the current market exchange rate) due to high demand and legal restrictions.
The use of such hand-held transceivers is tightly restricted under the provisions of the colonial-era Telegraph Act of 1885 and Wireless Telegraph Act of 1934. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment soon after the military takeover for possessing such handsets.
While still cheaper than many other options, walkie-talkies also have fewer features and capabilities compared to smartphones and fourth-generation cellular technology. Walkie-talkie technology is not designed to be secure and is vulnerable to interception. These vulnerabilities and the legal risks, coupled with the ever-increasing price relative to their usefulness, make walkie-talkies impractical for most civilians.
Long-range mesh networking devices
LoRa (short for Long Range) is a networking technology originally used on offshore oil rigs and other remote locations, and in post-disaster situations. It can connect small devices like sensors, trackers and small computer boards over long distances while using very little power.
LoRa devices provide an innovative workaround in off-grid areas but have firm limitations. Their batteries last only 24-26 hours on standby, so running these devices continuously requires a dedicated power source. Securing one is not easy when many areas of Myanmar are denied electricity from the national grid.
Another problem is the bandwidth. Only 256 bytes of text messages (three sentences in English, or one-and-a-half sentences in Burmese Unicode) can be communicated through these devices. The technology, therefore, cannot support multimedia and file transfer.
However, LoRa is a technology in its infancy and is rapidly evolving with the help of a strong global community of developers, meaning some of these shortcomings could be overcome in time.
Range extenders and repeaters
Weak signals can still be accessed intermittently in some areas experiencing internet shutdowns. However, the connection is often too poor for practical use. To address this, people can use commercially available range extenders and repeaters to boost the signal strength and extend its reach.
These devices are currently the most practical and cost-effective means of expanding internet access. They allow for the use of 2G, occasionally even 3G, internet from the nearest spot with a mobile internet connection.
Off-the-shelf devices are available from $100 and face less scrutiny from authorities due to their prevalence for personal use. But, despite these advantages, they are of little use in areas suffering mobile connectivity blackouts over a large area.
Geostationary orbit satellite communication
Satellite-based services such as Thuraya, Inmarsat and IPSTAR are useful for connecting from fixed locations such as offices. However, they are not portable, their data rate is high and specific technical skills are required to adjust and maintain them.
They cost around $100 for 60GB of data, which is unaffordable for most Myanmar users. Moreover, in some areas it takes a month to hire technicians. In practice, therefore, they tend to be only used by international media outlets and other organisations with the funds to cover the high costs of maintenance and data subscriptions.
Low Earth orbit satellite communication
These services, especially Starlink, have become the most viable and popular means of getting online in off-grid areas. Starlink devices are relatively inexpensive, easy to install and maintain, and are super portable compared to other forms of satellite internet.
However, getting them into Myanmar involves navigating various air, land and sea routes. Stringent regulations on importing telecom devices to countries such as Thailand – used as a transit point for delivery into Myanmar – further complicate the process. Because of these hurdles and the high demand, Starlink has become more expensive in Myanmar. Starlink dishes with a market price of $599 on the company’s website cost anywhere between $1,000 and $4,500 in the country.
Yet, there is no comparable provider in terms of availability and cost. The LEO industry is in fact led by Starlink and the company has the greatest number of satellites in low Earth orbit, with 5,504 as of March. In comparison, the second most viable LEO provider, Eutelsat OneWeb, only has 630 according to the company’s website. Intelsat, which has 56 satellites in geostationary orbit, supported Ukraine with 6.5 million euros worth of Satcube satellite equipment last year, funded by the German government. The catch: a single Satcube satellite dish costs at least $45,000.
One risk with Starlink is the tendency for the company itself to impose regional restrictions. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that SpaceX, of which Starlink is a subsidiary, suspended its services in some African countries. Because Myanmar is not on the list of authorised countries there’s a danger that, once the number of active devices in the country exceeds the capacity of SpaceX satellites to connect with them, Starlink could cut off its services for load balancing or political reasons.
The digital divide
If Myanmar is not to go dark, its alternative communications landscape needs to evolve. For now, alternative infrastructure remains largely at the “small office, home office” level, with about 20 people relying on a single device with default settings. To scale up, strategies for developing basic network infrastructure are needed. These could involve restoring commercial networks that have gone offline or establishing new community-based ones.
Of course, communication needs vary greatly by location. Areas near the Thai border have more alternative communications options than in other border regions, or in central Myanmar. Starlink, for example, cannot be used in Kachin State because of the geo-restrictions imposed by China next door. Kayah State has the highest density of Starlink devices because of the ease of importing them from neighbouring Thailand, while it is extremely difficult to transport them to the middle and western parts of the country. Therefore, every region needs to have its own alternative communication strategy.
Workshops and hackathons also need to be facilitated to continue the discussion about alternative technologies among technical experts and policymakers, to cope with the ever-increasing digital repression capabilities of the junta.
In parallel, advocacy aimed at the satellite internet companies and other relevant stakeholders could play an important role. Most issues are regulatory rather than technical. Therefore, the challenges faced by millions of unconnected people need to be communicated clearly to those who hold the power to reconnect them.
Myanmar’s struggle for internet access demonstrates not only the necessity of connectivity for the modern world but also how wide the digital divide can get if a population remains offline. How will Myanmar’s education system differ from the rest of the world? How different will its job market and payment systems be? Will the next generation of Myanmar youth be able to participate in the global workforce?
If the population stays unconnected, they could face a fate akin to what Yuval Noah Harari described in his book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century as becoming “a useless society”. Harari posits that technological advancements such as AI-related automations, economic inequality, reskilling and redefined workplaces might lead a large portion of the human workforce to become economically irrelevant.
The people of Myanmar do not deserve this future. It can, and must, be prevented.
Bradley is the pen name of a senior analyst from Myanmar at the Myanmar Internet Project and is doing a PhD at the School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University. This article is based on knowledge gathered over several years by the MIP in collaboration with the Myanmar digital rights community, as well as individuals and organisations on the ground who are striving to provide people with internet access.
