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Daddy San
12-30-10, 10:45
Hi there,

Can someone please report on the availability of broadband internet in Rangoon hotels?

Is UMTS available as an alternative?

Thanks.

DS

Doppel One
12-30-10, 11:19
hi there,

can someone please report on the availability of broadband internet in rangoon hotels?

is umts available as an alternative?

unless the situation has changed radically over the last six months expect to go through a wormhole into a previous age when using the internet in burma. connections tend to be extremely slow and antiquated although i can't vouch for the speed of the connection in top-end hotels. the hotel i stayed in didn't even have internet access so i was reduced to using the grubby internet cafes spread around town which were painfully slow. key sites such as hotmail were routinely blocked and gmail was only available through a proxy server. of course all this was pre-elections and the govt's paranoia may have calmed down now. my advice would be to double-check with your hotel prior to departure regarding the speed of their connection (if any) and plan for a reduced internet-usage trip. certainly deal with any important business calls using skype or similar before you enter the country as voip calls can be ver-rry gluey.

RCA Knight
01-01-11, 14:01
When accessing Gmail, put a S after http, make it https, it works most of the time. But Yahoo, Hotmail do not work when you do the same.

Daddy San
01-02-11, 10:25
Sorry guys,

I didn't mean to start a new thread with my question, I just hit the wrong button.

But in retrospect, the topic seems of general interest.

Thanks for your input.

Mayday14
01-02-11, 20:07
Not sure it merits it's own thread but here goes:

Panorama has free wifi in the lobby as does Grand Mee and others. Not aware of anywhere that has it in the room - anyone?

Prior to going be sure to get some proxy software like Ultrasurf on your laptop, if you try to get it while you're there the only sites you'll be able to access will have virus ridden versions - Ultrasurf often shows as a false positive to AV s/w anyway so be careful (Ultrasurf would not permit access to this site though!) There are other, often paid, options which will be faster.

Most internet cafes will be able to get you through to Hotmail if you ask though gmail is by far the easiest to access.

Golfinho
01-02-11, 21:41
Hi there,

Can someone please report on the availability of broadband internet in Rangoon hotels?

Is UMTS available as an alternative?

Thanks.

DSIf you absolutely have to have access for your work while you are in Yango / Myanmar, and cannot be out of touch at any time, then Good Luck! Better to not go. On top of the obstacles to good, fast connection, the government can censor at will.

Danibbler
01-03-11, 07:48
Thanks all for the info regarding the Internet in Burma. Looks like I will have to scratch this one off of my list as I need fast and reliable access.

IntlSuperstar
04-20-11, 05:48
50th Street Bar & Grill has free wifi. Albeit slow.

ConquerorVal
01-06-14, 09:27
Internet access has significantly improved in Myanmar. Every hotel I stayed at-Yangon, Ngapali, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake, had wi-fi. The best and fastest were in Mandalay and Yangon. Also, many restaurants / bars frequented by tourists provide free wi-fi. Word of caution: the more you pay for your hotel, the more likely access to ISG will be blocked. Happened to me in Ngapali and Inle.

Seeko
10-08-16, 05:25
After Myanmar government authorized foreign telecoms (Ooredoo & Telenor) to operate mobile services inside Myanmar, the speed and coverage of cell service have improved greatly; in many cases faster than WiFi in hotels, coffee shops, and restaurants. And, SIM cards are on sale at 1500 kyats by official order. Some dealers will sell higher priced SIMs, stating that the number is unique or highly coveted. Or, they will have it pre-activated and added top-up amount already. Just ask for details on why it is not 1500 kyats, and if the reason is acceptable to you, buy it. Otherwise, go to the next vendor.

The two foreign operators calculate internet data usage by bytes (like every other telecoms outside of Myanmar) rather than MPT's time-based connection. The latter's old method is cheap for low-income mobile users, but not good for chat connection as every MPT user turns off mobile data when not checking their messages or Facebook. Thus, response time was long and inconvenient when attempting to set up meetings.

I had to train my Myanmar contacts and freelancers with Ooredoo or Telenor SIM cards to leave their mobile network on and activate data sync, so that they would receive my messages right away. Took a while to explain the concept and difference between metered by minutes vs. Bytes and why they can leave 3 G / 4 G on all day with Ooredoo and Telenor.

Since these two companies are competing vigorously, check their websites for latest promos and internet packages before deciding on which SIM card to buy. If you know how much data you'll use per day or week, then, you can focus on your requirement and compare the two similar plans between these 2 telcoms. I used about 70 MB per day with heavy FB scrolling & photo uploads, so I normally purchase a monthly pack to get 2 GB; currently, 1. 35 GB+free 1. 35 GB with Ooredoo, or 1 GB+free 1 GB with Telenor. Here are the links for your own research and comparison:

Ooredoo http://www.ooredoo.com.mm/en/Personal/Plans/Prepaid/Internet-Pack.aspx.

Telenor https://www.telenor.com.mm/page/smart-internet/173.