YANGON, Myanmar— Cisco Systems plans to establish two network training centers in Myanmar, as global technology companies begin to move into one of the least-connected places on Earth.
Thursday’s announcement comes on the heels of a USAID-sponsored delegation of executives from Cisco, Google, HP, Intel and Microsoft to the fast-opening country.
Just 7 percent of Myanmar citizens have Internet access, and levels of cellphone use are lower than in North Korea. The government has made telecom reform a priority.
The USAID technology delegation was geared toward education, but is also a first step toward business engagement.
USAID resumed work in Myanmar in November. Since then, it has committed $171 million to health, food security, democracy, human rights and rule of law programs.