Friday, June 30, 2017

Ooredoo Myanmar offers unlimited Iflix access, free data

Ooredoo Myanmar has signed a deal with Iflix to provide customers with up to six months of unlimited access to Iflix. Each customer is entitled to an extra 1 GB of monthly data for up to six months to stream and download on Iflix exclusively, on top of their existing data allocation.

Ooredoo has also introduced monthly data packs exclusively for use on Iflix, with 1 GB costing MMK 999, 4 GB costing MMK 2,999 and 10 GB costing MMK 5,999. Customers who purchase a standard Paung Kuu pack (from MMK 2,999) through the My Ooredoo app receive 10 percent bonus data for Iflix.

Iflix has a library of first-run exclusive shows, TV serials, blockbuster films, popular local and regional content and children's programmes. Access to Iflix is available on up to five devices at once, including phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, TVs and other connected devices.

Customers will have unlimited access to download TV shows and movies to any phone, tablet or mobile device to binge-watch offline, when not connected to the internet, and to share the iflix subscription with family or friends and watch shows on two different devices at the same time.

Source : https://www.telecompaper.com/news/ooredoo-myanmar-offers-unlimited-iflix-access-free-data--1202204

Myanmar weighs in on booming online food shops

Myanmar's online food shops have become very popular among the country’s millions of Internet users, giving restaurants and street food shops a run for their money.

As the internet has become widely used in Myanmar, people have taken to online shopping, importing clothes and accessories mainly from Thailand and Singapore as well as dried or fried food, snacks and recipes using social media.

According to a survey by the Myanmar ICT Development Organisation (MIDO) conducted in June, almost 14 million Myanmar people aged 18 to 64 use Facebook.

“Of course, the number of food sellers on social media has increased. Crab recipes are selling like hotcakes,” Khine Su Wai, who has sold hotpot and crab recipes online for the past year and a half, told Weekend.

People order food online when the food is not easy to make or when they are too lazy to cook. One can get special food online anytime they want, especially when it’s raining or when it’s inconvenient to go out to eat.

Yuzana Khin, an avid online shopper who started purchasing knick-knacks in 2014 then graduated to ordering food online, said buying food online is similar to buying food at a restaurant.

“For example, Mote Hninn Karr - the traditional Myanmar soup sold in almost every shop - does not always taste good, even in a well-known shop,” she said. “It’s the same when you order food online. I try once, and I continue ordering and sharing with friends if it is good. If not, I don’t order again.”

“I’ ve receive many defective things when I order online, but not food. Most of the food I order online is good and tasty,” said Yuzana Khin, who said she always checks customer reviews and feedback for an online shop before she places an order.

But 46-year-old Richard, who likes to find and eat good food at restaurants, is wary.

“Ordering food online is similar to testing my luck. I prefer to eat outside where I can see and smell the food being cooked. Reviews? Some people may write reviews in exchange for something,” he told Weekend.

He is not the only one. Food blogger Show Show Aung also prefers to eat out rather than order food online.

“Online shops cannot maintain the quality of the taste and cannot take the pressure when they have a lot of orders. I have never heard of online shops being run by an organisation but rather by families. It is a good business for a family but not for a long-term business,” he said.

Despite the mixed reactions, Htike Htike Aung, executive director of MIDO, said there is a big potential for online food sales.

“The cost of opening an online shop is low, so the price of food will be cheap, and they can offer door-to-door delivery, which is an added convenience for customers who do not want to go out to enjoy their favourite food. It also supports the family business.”

She said it is a win-win situation for the food shops and the consumer.

“Consumers can check the feedback easily via Facebook, which will provide more incentive for online food shops to offer better service,” she said.

Zin Min Htet, who operates an online food shop, said it is not necessarily true that prices at restaurants are higher than at online shops.

“At some restaurants, the food costs more because of expensive decorations and ingredients. But I also see food from online shops that are expensive, maybe because of their wages,” Zin Min Htet, who also sells crab recipes online, said.

Both online food shops and restaurants have to charge 5 percent sales tax and 5pc to 10pc service fee on top of the price of food, according to Kywe Kywe Ohn.

“It is really bad that the cost of delivery is the same amount as the price of the food I want to eat. Only when you order a lot, is it a better deal,” Kywe Kywe Ohn said.

If you want to order online food, be sure to check the customer reviews, especially those of friends and relatives, so that you can get not only tasty food but the best value for your money.

Source : http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/lifestyle/dining/26627-myanmar-weighs-in-on-booming-online-food-shops.html



Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Myanmar's Startup Revolution

Myanmar's rapid development since the end of military rule is nurturing a new wave of young entrepreneurs. Launching a new business was nearly unthinkable just a few years ago. But now, with the soaring popularity of smartphones, startups are poised to revolutionize the market with innovative business concepts.

On the very first “Demo Day” for tech startups in Myanmar, 4 young entrepreneurs are pitching their ideas. They were selected from among 80 applicants.

“We created mobile comic application for all the comic readers in Myanmar.”
Venture capitalists and angel investors were invited to listen and consider injecting funds.

"We’ve got very rich home-grown talents here and I think I‘ve been surprised by the entrepreneurial mindset of people here," says one of them.

First prize goes to Honey Mya Win. She founded her startup with her programmer sister less than a year ago after quitting her job with a Chinese telecom firm.

“Myanmar is open up and these investors are coming in, so that will be wise to start it right now," she says.

Her startup, “Chate Sat,” -- meaning “connect” in Burmese -- is a platform linking freelancers with work opportunities.

The 4,000 or so registered freelancers have skills from writing content to developing websites. They can apply for projects directly, without having to pay large sums to a middleman.

"Our dream is to let people know that Chate Sat is here to help people out," she says.

Myanmar is in an era of rapid digital transformation. More people are using the internet, thanks to cheap smart phones and competition among telecom firms.

Myanmar's dramatic opening-up and the rapid spread of smart phones has created a healthy breeding ground for startups, according to the pitch contest's organizer.

"Three years ago, their businesses would not just have been viable. So, this technology leapfrog is essential in enabling the kind of activities," says Jes Kaliebe Petersen, Director of Phandeeyar Accelerator.

Koe Koe Tech's app is called “Maymay,” meaning “mother.” It's a health support service for pregnant women and mothers.

The app has Q-and-As about pregnancy and childcare, and chat rooms where users can discuss health issues. Users can quickly find a doctor, or even shop for baby goods.

New mother Thandar Aung has been using it since she was pregnant. Even living in a suburb of Yangon, she says, reliable medical advice is hard to find.

"I can use the app to check what kind of food to give my children. I can get useful information direct from my smartphone, so it’s very convenient," she says.

"With access to high-quality health information, high quality health provider, high quality health products, will improve health outcome of Myanmar. We definitely want to reduce… kind of the simplest things, maternal and children-under-5 mortality rates in the country," says Koe Koe Tech Co-founder Michael Lwin.

Most Myanmar startups are still struggling to get funding and make money. But after decades of isolation, these entrepreneurs are making a valuable contribution to the country's development.

Source :  https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/editors/1/myanmarsstartuprevolution/index.html