Prepaid mobile phone SIM cards available in City Mart Supermarkets in Yangon

Newly introduced prepaid mobile phone SIM cards from Myanmar Telecoms and Telegraph are now available to general public in City Mart Supermarkets in Yangon, according to The Voice Weekly News Journal from Myanmar. According to The Voice, the phone cards are sold at the original price of US$ 20. Customers have to show their ID card, and there is a limit of three SIM cards per ID card per purchase. Since 1st January, the mobile phone SIM cards are available at 9 City Mart outlets in Yangon and City Mart in Mandalay.Although official price is set at US$ 20 per cards, these cards are sold at twice the official price by some of the retailers. The normal post paid SIM cards are sold officially at 1,500,000 kyats (around 1,200 US$) and the resold at twice the official price by those who got these SIM cards.

40 thoughts on “Prepaid mobile phone SIM cards available in City Mart Supermarkets in Yangon”

  1. What is the SIM phone cards area code? Is it 4 or 9? I could not call using 011-959 or 011-954 to my relatives who have prepaid mobile phone SIM card.
    Could you provide more information?
    Thanks

    1. Thank you for the comment. Normally, all the mobile phones (GSM/CDMA) phone code in Myanmar starts with 09. 09-50xxxxx for GSM and 09-80xxxxx for CDMA mobile phones. I am not sure why you cannot call to the prepaid cards in Myanmar. May be you should try calling using the normal international dialing codes (+959 or 001-959).

  2. So, does a Yangon local pay US $20 and they get a cellphone with the SIM card? And each time, they have to return the entire phone and when they want a new SIM card, they get another cell phone?

    Or, does the local need to have a cell phone already, and they just replace the SIM card?

    Could you provide more information? Thanks.

    1. You need to buy your own mobile phone. 20 dollar is only the sim card which will expire in a month. Currently, there is no way of refilling your card. I think the main reason is it is mainly targeted at foreign tourists.

  3. Hello,

    I have an urgent question only a bit related to the topic. I’m flying to Myanmar (Yangon) in a couple of days and I just found some info that as a foreigner I have to leave my mobile phone at customs in Yangon. In other words – I cannot have my phone with me while in Myanmar, but I will receive it back only while leaving the country.

    Can you confirm this information or do you have any suggestion where I can verify it quickly? I need an answer urgently because I will leave my home country in less that 48 hours and don’t know if I should take my phone with me or leave it at home. The real problem is that I will arrive to Myanmar via Yangon, but leave from Mandalay, so if they take away my phone at Yangon airport I will never get it back :-(.

    Kind regards,
    Michal

    1. Thanks for visiting Myanmar Today. First, I would like to tell you that I have never heard of this information. My sister, who is now a Singaporean citizen and enters Myanmar several times with a Singaporean passport is never asked for her cell phone. All my foreigner friends who enter Myanmar were also never asked. However, this was last year, and with all the current events in Myanmar, I am not sure whether it is a new regulation or just a rumour. But this is the first time I heard about it.

      If you are afraid that your cell phone might be taken, then the best way is never to mention or declare that you have a cell phone. If they ask, tell them that you left your cell phone at home with your family as there is no use of the cell phone here. Keep the cell phone in the luggage or inside your back pack. Most of the time, they never ask to see inside the luggage of the foreigners (even for a Burmese like me, they rarely ask as I usually travelled light). If you are carrying a big luggage, they might ask you to open your bag but they rarely search thoroughly, so put it inside somewhere that is not easy to see. If they ask you to open your bag, they will simply look at it and say thank you. So there is no need to be worried or panic.

      Hope this information is useful to you.

      1. Thanks for the important information as i m entering the Myanmar in march..can anybody tell me whats the real currency rate for ONE USD to MYNAMAR Kyat? Pleas help me to understand the currency exchange at Myanmar

        1. Right now exchange rate is quite unstable as the government tries to float the official rate. The transition will tale around two to three years.

  4. Hallo,
    I heard there are GSM and CDMA cards available, depending on the available net in the special area. In Ngapali – I heard – there should work only the CDMA-net.
    Are these informations right? Can I use a normal dualband-mobile for the CDMA-net?
    Thanx in advance,
    Jens, traveling in Dec./Jan. to Myanmar

  5. Hi,

    Could you please recommend me the best cell phone brands to use with scim card, in yangon or if possible anywhere in the country.

    Do blackberry cell phone works here?

    Thanks in advance,
    Hau

    1. Usually, Nokia works better than other brands in Myanmar. I am not sure Blackberry will work in Myanmar or not. In Myanmar you can buy both GSM and CDMA prepaid cards now. However, CDMA cards are more expensive (US$ 50) and the network availability is also more limited than GSM. Most cellular networks in Myanmar are GSM.

  6. Hi, can blackberry 9530 use in Yangon? I heard it works for both GSM and CDMA network. Will CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO work in Yangon? There are many different type of CDMA ph. Looking forward to hear back soon. Thanks.

  7. Please note that there are 2 different frequency bands used by different CDMA networks.

    CDMA networks in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia are operating on 450 MHz frequency band.

    While in Thailand only 800 MHz frequency band is used for CDMA (Hutch, CAT CDMA).

    Therefore CDMA phones from Thailand can not be used in Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia.

    When you buy a CDMA phone for Myanmar (Laos, Cambodia) you need to make sure that this CDMA phone is for 450 MHz (not 800 MHz).

  8. Hi,
    I am leaving for Yangon in two days. I am just wondering, is the pre paid phone card still cost me $20 ? and how much it charged for international text message and call?

    many thanks,
    yani

    1. International calls are quite expensive in Myanmar. Call to Thailand usually cost 1.70 us dollar per minute. Calls to other countries are more expensive.

  9. Hello,

    im leaving for burma next week and i was wondering what the coverage is like of these sims, also can i buy them at the airport becasue i will be going to yandinayangoon striaght away and will not have time to purchase a card from the city.

  10. Hello Nick,

    Prepaid SIMs cover all the areas where normal GSM phones are working.
    I can’t quite realize where are you heading straight frm airport.
    And you cannot buy a sim card at the airport hwvr, you can stop on the way at any computer hardware stores to get a prepaid card.
    But the best to suggest is rent a normal GSM or CDMA phone for long run.

  11. Can cell phones from Singapore, Thailand, China, or India operate in Yangon on any sort of regional roaming mode? I read above that the Thai cell phones operate at a different frequency than the towers in Myanmar, so I am guessing a Thai phone would be out. If some foreign phones can operate from Yangon, what would be the best in terms of quality or price?

    1. All modern GSM phones can operate in Burma, but will need to buy Myanmar prepaid GSM card. You cannot do roaming service in Myanmar. Make sure your GSM phone is not SIM locked.

  12. I will be travelling to Yangon in just over a weeks time and my company mobile (blackberry) is sim locked, so it will not be possible for me to buy a $20 sim card. Is it possible to hire/rent a mobile phone whilst I am there? I will be arriving on Monday and leaving Friday. Alternatively what is the internet access like? If it’s good then I could use e-mail.

    Many thanks

    Traveller

  13. Hay,

    I am leaving for Myanmar in few days. I would like to know if you can check, if I buy myanmar sim card, so my family can call me from europe on that number (mynamar number) and if you can tell me what is aproximately price for calls to europe, and sms???
    So if I spend 20 usd in few days, can I buy another sim card, again for 20 usd?

    thank you, damjana

    1. Sorry for the late reply. Currently, there are no GSM sim cards issued by the government anymore. You might still be able to find some GSM prepaid cards but it is rarer now. The price to calling Europe is quite expensive – around 4 – 5 US dollar a minute! Even to Thailand, which is cheapest to call from Myanmar cost 1.7 US dollar a minute. A cheap alternative is to use skype from an internet cafe. You can easily find an internet cafe in Yangon or Mandalay but out of the two big cities, it is difficult to find one. And the speed is very slow if you are not in Yangon or Mandalay.

  14. hi, what mid-high range apartments (serviced/non-serviced ) can you recommend for a married couple w no children? how much do they cost? where does the expat community stay_what area?

    1. Micasa(951-650933), Sakura(951-525001) and Marina(951-650651~4) are mid range serviced apartments. Expats live in most of those serviced apartments.
      None serviced apartment will costs you less but you will mostly hv to buy furnitures, appliances and accessories by your self.
      I want to recommend staying at serviced apartments. But if you want to check, stay at a hotel on yr arrival first.

  15. Hi dear,
    may i know that is it easy to buy cellphone in myanmar. i want to use this number as permanent one. could you generally describe me…
    the price, monthly fee, per call fee, as well as where can i buy in yangon?
    B.regards
    nini

    1. It will costs you arnd 500,000ks to 650,000ks for a fix no. cell phone.
      You can buy through yr friends or frm mobile phone(hand sets) shops.
      Make sure to buy prepaid GSM or CDMA, otherwise non-prepaid will give you big trouble paying call charges at government bill offices.
      If you rent, it is arnd 30,000ks to 40,000ks per month with some 100,000ks deposit.

  16. i’m going yangoon next wed(17.08.2011) but not yet book hotel, since the telecommunication problem mention above… can u recommend some hotel which is ranges around USD20-USD40 and got WI-FI!!!!

  17. You will hv to pay arnd 30usd/night for a decent hotel as USD is depreciating right now.

    Asia Plaza Hotel, downtown area,(951-391070)
    35usd/night, lobby wifi

    Central Hotel, downtown area, (951-241001-20)
    40usd/night, internet at biz center

    Hotel Windsor, off downtown, (951-510037)
    30-35usd/night, in room free wifi

    Yuzzna Hotel, off downtown, (951-549600)
    30usd/night, lobby wifi

    Hotel Shwe Gonedine, off downtown, (951-552583~5)
    38usd/night, in room free wifi

    in room wifi are hardly offered by hotels arnd 20-40usd

    u can also find internet cafes at every places, if yr hotel wifi is not good.(usually not so good)

    u should stay at downtown area if you care for convenience of walking around.

  18. hey i want to ask , i got a friend from myanmar n also i got the phone number ( 0943xxxxxx ) but i got confused how to send a text message to that number from Indonesia .. any suggestion ? thanks 😀

  19. Hi, my fiend, i will visit your country for mobile business. But some friends told me that myanmar’s mobile market is not enough good, and because of expensive of fee and charge. But in near future, with promotion policy from govn., this market will be growing fast. How do you think about this point? thanks.

  20. Hi;

    I’m coming to visit Myanmar next week, and I have some questions about the Telecom sector for which I appreciate your feedback: 1) what is the number of mobile users in Myanmar (GSM only, CDMA only)? 2) How many are prepaid and how many are postpaid 3) what is the price of a SIM card today (pre and post paid) 4) what is the rate per minute of both post and pre paid 5) What are the other fees that you typically pay monthly for both post and prepaid? 6) do you still pay for receiving calls on the mobile, what is the price per minute? 7) how much you pay per minute for calling the fixed network

  21. Hi,
    I have work offer in myanmar and i’m a bit worried about how am i gonna communicate with my family here in the Philippines. is WiFi connection already available in myanmar? can i use my Samsung Mobile? or better to bring with me my laptop? are there any prepaid broadband network sale in Myanmar? can foreigner like me apply for internet connection?how much will it cost?

    Thanks,
    Sheng

  22. Pingback: Mobile Phone Prices Myanmar | mbwmobile

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