Mobiles in Burma (Myanmar)
Cross-Border Movement Strategies
Under Authoritarian Regimes
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 1

This is Burma
Population: 60 million
Those in Exile: 4 million
Less than 1% mobile phone
market penetration
KEY INDICATORS
worst best
GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2000 international $) ........ 1,446 3.50
Life expectancy at birth (years) ............................................. 61 4.19
Literacy rate (% of people age 15+) ..................................... 90 6.00
Human development index (out of 177)............................... 130 3.52
Rule of law (out of 208) ...................................................... 202 1.87
Voice and accountability (out of 208) .................................. 208 0.69
Digital opportunity index (out of 180) .................................. 176 1.36
Internet users (% of population) ........................................... 0.1 3.07
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Source (by indicator): IMF 2006; World Bank 2006a, 2006a; UNDP 2006; World Bank 2006c, 2006c; ITU 2006, 2004
OpenNet Initiative, Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study,
at http://opennet.net/studies/burma/.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2

Saffron Revolution
Mobile phones were used by monks and other citizen
journalists to send information to the outside world.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 3

constrained context.
OpenNet Initiative, Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma, at http://opennet.net/research/bulletins/013.
Figure 1. Timeline of Events,
Aug. 19, 2007 - Oct. 13, 2007
Text
Saffron Revolution
Internet in Burma
Willfrom Burma are always asking forthat silencing mobiles andand assistance
“People governments learn information as well as requesting for help the
internet are a necessary step in any crackdown?
from [the] outside world but very little of their voices reach the world and most are lost in the endless
state of the government vacuum.” — Burmese blogger
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 4

Burma’s Borders
In Burma the cost of a GSM
sim card is 2.5 million kyat.
This equals approximately
$2000 (17,000 rand) on the
black market conversion
rate. At the official rate this
is approximately $393,400
(3,351,324 rand). Bangladesh
Dollars
4.18
Local Currency
250
Rand
31.39
India (Delhi) 7.77 300 54.46
Thailand 6.84 200 50.14
China (Yunnan) 14.6 100 124.4
South Africa 23.48 200 200
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5

How information travels
Actions are recorded with
mobile phones, uploaded to
flash drives, taken across
borders, uploaded to
servers, sent to trusted
contacts.
Is there a better way?
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 6

Impact of Technology
In Thailand, internet access
is frequent. There, we found
a correlation between
access to internet and self-
identification as an activist
Since then, internet access
has grown, including
affordable and reliable
GPRS on mobiles
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7

Digital Democracy
Problem Solution .
Regional instability Cross-border communication
World’s longest running civil Networking among
war traditionally divided groups
Rampant use of child soldiers Providing 21st century
education
Over 3.5 million internally
displaced persons and Connecting refugees with
refugees their resettled communities
Severe censorship Freedom of information
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8