Thomas Liu, managing director in charge of Huawei's Southeast Asia region, expects the number of mobile users in Myanmar to reach 30 million within five years, based on its young population.

But the growth in numbers will not be easy without making the dream of owning a handset cheaper and more affordable. It costs $200 to buy a SIM card in Myanmar.

In late May, the Myanmar telecom regulator announced that it was selling 350,000 SIM cards for the price of K1500 (around $2). As a tentative step in telecom reform, the cards were sold lucky-draw style.

In the case of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, local residents began lining up at 5 am and waited as long as three hours to get their hands on the much cheaper card.

About the broadcaster:

Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.

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