Sojitz Corporation (Sojitz) has acquired a stake in edotco Myanmar Limited, part of leading regional integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company edotco Group Sdn Bhd (edotco), as it sets out to boost the country’s readiness for next-generation connectivity.

This acquisition is a strategic move for Sojitz to gain a strong foothold in the market with edotco Myanmar having secured end-to-end tower-sharing arrangements with Myanmar’s four major telecom operators.

Edotco holds approximately 20,000 of its own telecom towers in 8 countries in Asia (including Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Laos, and the Philippines). The company provides services of Construction of telecommunication towers; Supply of power to telecommunication towers; Smart lamp poles; and In-Building Solutions (IBS).

Edotco Myanmarcurrently manages and operates over 2,000 telecom towers in Myanmar, edotco Myanmar also has a tremendous potential to capture the largest market share in Myanmar. This is driven by the population’s increasing appetite for faster and more reliable data fueled by the more widespread use of smartphones and tablets in the country. Myanmar’s demand for telecom towers is also projected to surge once the country adopts 5G given that its roll-out would require support from more base stations compared to 4G.

Sojitz’s entry into the communications infrastructure business in Myanmar will also extend its positive impact to the country’s rural communities with upcoming projects dedicated to providing stable internet connectivity to remote areas without reliable electricity supply.

Combining edotco Myanmar’s business management capabilities with Sojitz’s worldwide social infrastructure development expertise, Sojitz and edotco are set to broaden the scope of the business to include telecom tower-related projects such as distributed generation and smart cities.