Telenor will mark the launch of its service next month by putting 10 million SIM cards on the market, a company spokesperson told Mizzima on August 5.

The long-awaited announcement comes just days after Ooredoo officially launched its service on August 2.

Telenor Myanmar public relations officer Ko Soe Thu Tun said the service would be launched in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw, but did not specify a date.

"We are now ready to launch with 10 million SIM cards and 800 towers," he said.

The cost of the cards will not exceed K1,500, Telenor Myanmar vice president and head of communications Hanne Knudsen told Mizzima.

Ko Soe Thu Tun said Telenor will launch with 2G and 3G services and eventually plans to offer 4G when it becomes more widely accepted.

"We added 2G network service so that users can easily buy the low-cost handsets and use internet and also they can use with their current handsets," he said, adding that the 2G network would have connection speeds of up to 250KB and the 3G network, 7.2MB.

"It will be a little bit slow if users use the internet extensively," Ko Soe Thu Tun said. Telenor users could also have free access to Wikipedia, he said.

Ooredoo begin selling its K1,500 SIM cards a few days ahead of its official launch.