The United States Bureau of Industry and Security announced that Mytel, a telecommunications company partly owned by Myanmar’s military junta, has been added to its ‘sanctioned’ list.
In a statement, the agency sanctioned Mytel—formally known as Telecom International Myanmar Co., Ltd.—for engaging in activities deemed contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
The U.S. government accused the company of providing surveillance services and financial backing to Myanmar's military regime, facilitating human rights violations by enabling the tracking and identification of individuals and groups, according to the statement.
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Since the military seized power in February, 2021, Myanmar’s junta has maintained control over the nation’s telecom providers, leveraging the infrastructure to block internet and phone services and monitor users through SIM card data, reported the Myanmar Internet Project, a digital rights advocacy group.
A representative of the group told media outlets that while other operators are not entirely owned by the regime, they still operate under its control. Companies like Mytel, which are fully controlled by the junta, reportedly pose a greater risk as they enable significant digital rights violations.
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Myanmar's telecommunications sector is led by four main operators: MPT, a joint venture between Myanma Posts and Telecommunications and Japanese firms; Ooredoo, recently acquired by Ayeyar Hinthar Holdings Co., Ltd; ATOM, previously known as Telenor Myanmar and now owned by junta ally, Thein Win Zaw; and Mytel.
Mytel operates as a joint venture with significant ties to military entities. Viettel Global Investment, owned by the Vietnamese military, holds a 49% stake in the company. The Myanmar military’s Star High Company owns 28%, while the remaining 23% is controlled by Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public Co., Ltd., a public entity.
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