Internet in Myanmar

The Internet in Myanmar has been available since 2000 when the first Internet connections were established. Beginning in September 2011, historically pervasive levels of Internet censorship in Burma were significantly reduced. Prior to September 2011, the military government worked aggressively to limit and control Internet access through software-based censorship, infrastructure and technical constraints, and laws and regulations with large fines and lengthy prison sentences for violators. In 2015, internet usage significantly increased to 12.6% with the introduction of faster mobile 3G internet by transnational telecommunication companies Telenor Myanmar and Ooredoo Myanmar, later joined by national Myanmar Post and Telecommunications(MPT). While the Internet situation in Myanmar has undergone change since its introduction in 2010 and reduction of censorship in 2011, laws such as the 2013 Telecommunications Law continue to restrict citizens from total freedom online. Despite restrictions, internet penetration continues to grow across the country.

Following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, internet access was shut off daily between the hours of 1:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Wikipedia and its related sister projects, international and local media, and the websites of anti-coup organizations (including the CRPH), were also banned by the ruling junta.

On 15 March 2021, the military completely shut off mobile internet access in Myanmar, and all internet access on 18 March.

Myanmar's top-level domain is '.mm'.

Yatanarpon Teleport, 5BB Broadband, satellite internet provider Skynet, the state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT), WeLink Myanmar, Myanmar Net, Myanmar Speednet, AGB Communication, Fortune Broadband, Kinetic Myanmar Technology, Ooredoo Myanmar, Telenor Myanmar, Mytel, Uplink Myanmar and some others are the Internet service providers in Yangon and Mandalay.

Before democratization in 2011, Internet cafés were the most common method of accessing the Internet, as most were equipped with proxy servers in order to bypass government censorship. The popularity of Internet cafés declined with the emergence of improved telecommunication infrastructure following liberalization, which allowed mobile Internet to achieve widespread use. However, they are still widely present, especially in Yangon and Mandalay where they are used extensively for blogging.

The number of Internet service providers has enormously increased since 2015 and mobile data usage fees have also decreased to 1 MB per 5 Kyat (US$0.0035estimated), with FTTH monthly fees starting from 20,000 Kyat (US$14.19 estimated) for 10 Mbit/s.

Internet access for home use in areas outside of Yangon and Mandalay is only available through ADSL technology provided by MPT. However, its pricing is prohibitively expensive for most customers. In 2017, For MPT's fixed-line phone (new installation) price for ADSL was Ks.3,25,000/- (US$240 estimated), including an initial setup fee of Ks.50,000/- (US$37 estimated) without a CPE. The annual fee is Ks.50,000/- (US$37 estimated), while the monthly fee for 512 kbit/s (lowest bandwidth) is Ks.17,000/- (US$13 estimated). 2.5 Mbit/s, the highest bandwidth available, is offered at Ks.80,000/- (US$60 estimated). FTTH Internet is unavailable in rural areas.