Mobile phone - Laptop
Just forget it ! Whatever your telecom company
it will not work in Myanmar but since Decembre 2008, the situation has changed..
A very good news.
Starting 12 December 2008, it is possible to buy prepaid SIM card and use your own mobile phone.
The cost is 10 or 20 FEC per SIM card, each car will a have 14 or 28 days deadline once activated. You wil need your passport to buy the SIM (as in Thailand and Singapore).
Just check that your mobile phone is "lock" to your phone company otherwise it will not work with the SIM card here.
Sim card system is working well and in Yangon it is quite easy to buy a prepaid Simcard.
Make a call abroad
Theorically, you make an IDD everywhere in Myanmar. Pratically
it is very difficult from Inle and Bagan, but you will be
able to make IDD call from almost all the hotels without any
problem in Mandalay and Yangon.
It is always easier to call from Myanmar to abroad, than from
abroad to Myanmar, especially Inle area where it is almost
impossible to get an outside call.
Receive a phone call from abroad
Possible in Yangon, but you should avoid afternoon time (Myanmar time) as it is very difficult to get a connexion from abroad in the afternoon.
Mandalay, it is even more difficult than Yangon.
In other cities in Myanmar, forget it, it is almost impossible to receive a phone call from abroad, unless you are very lucky.
Many places still have manual switch board with burmese speaking staff..
Cost of a phone call : DANGER
Be very carefull while making a phone call abroad.
One minute cost between 5 and 10 USD and they charge you after 10 seconds even if your call did not go through.
The phone bill can be very high !!!!!
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Internet - Email
Currently, the situation is far better than few years ago and it is quite easy to find in the main cities a cyber cafe.
There is cyber cafe in a lot of cities in Myanmar, even sometimes in the small city like Taungoo, Bagan, Monywa, Taungyi etc...
It is now quite easy to send an email and to receive it (see below).
In Yangon, the best and most
modern is located at the Dagon Center on Pyay Road (second
floor).
You can surf on Internet (most of the web site, except some
banned one). The cost is around 1500 to 3 000Kyat per hour (around
1,5 USD).
Update : 10-July 2009.
Yahoo mail & Hotmail are still banned.
Gmail has been also banned this week, officially it is a technical problem... It is becoming very difficult to have access to your email, let's hope this "technical problem" will be solved quickly.
Currently, the only solution is to find a "good" cybercafé witht the correct software....
Electricity
220
250 V, a lot of surge problem and black out.
If you want to connect your digital camera, transformer, ... it is really better to buy a small surge protector. It cost almost nothing but you can save your electronic equipment..
Black out is very common and most of the hotels have their own generator. It is the best way to destroy your transformer....
Photograph of the main electricity plug in Myanmar :
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