A Myanmar and a Canadian information and communication technology (ICT) company have reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to run an internet service provider (ISP) in Myanmar as part of the country’s bid to expand such services, a local news journal reported Monday.

The ISP to be established by the Ahaed Co. of Myanmar and the Teleglobe of Canada, will become another ISP in the country and the internet-based telephone system will be extensively used after the establishment, the Myanmar company was quoted by the Voice as saying.

The current private ISP in Myanmar went to the Bagan Cybertech Co. which had initiated the internet and the internet-based telephone system in 2001 in cooperation with the Shin Satellite Co. of Thailand.

According to official statistics, the number of internet users in Myanmar has stood over 70,000 since it was introduced. The number of subscribers rose 133 percent within a year from 2003 when it was only 30,000.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has launched some e-government systems including e-visa, e-passport, and e-procurement to effect management of government bodies.

Myanmar introduced e-education system in early 2001. Being a signatory to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated at the regional summit in Singapore in 2000, Myanmar has also formed the e-National Task Force to support the IT development.

The country has also signed a series of MoUs with companies from Malaysia, Thailand and an ASEAN organization on ICT development.