Yangon - Myanmar currently has about 1 million digital phones, half of them mobiles, for its 47 million population, the telecommunications minister disclosed on Monday.

Myanmar has 1 million digital phones, half of them mobiles 

‘In the country there are 890 digital exchanges involving 500,000 auto phones and 500,000 mobile phones totaling one million lines,’ Minister Brigadier General Thein Zaw said.

Addressing a seminar in Yangon on information technology, Thein Zaw noted that Myanmar’s ruling junta had invested not only in microwave stations, but also residential cable networks, ISDN and ADSL systems and MPT Satellite Terminal including e-mail and internet.

 Although Myanmar’s military regime has loosened restrictions on telecommunications in recent years, it continues to try to limit links abroad. For instance, access to both Yahoo and Hotmail are blocked in Myanmar. 

Digital phones, including mobile sets, are reportedly monitored by authorities.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, when General Ne Win overthrew the civilian government of the country’s first elected prime minister, U Nu, who launched the economy along its disastrous

to Socialism.

 It has been under martial law since 1988, when the army cracked down on a mass anti-military movement that left more than 3,000 people dead.