Section 3 of the State-Owned Economic Enterprise Law No. 9/89 stipulates that certain activities, including telecommunications services, are reserved exclusively for the State. However, the Government retains the authority to permit, via notification, the execution of these reserved activities through joint ventures between the Government and other individuals or economic organisations. It has been observed that the Government frequently grants exceptions to the exclusive rights of SOEs in various economic sectors, including telecommunications, by allowing joint ventures or issuing special licenses.

It is reported that the military directly controls two of Myanmar's four telecommunications service providers, including military-owned Myteland and Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), originally state-owned and the country's main telecommunications operator. The other two service providers, ATOM (formerly Telenor) and Ooredoo, were run by independent foreign companies prior to the coup but are now owned by companies linked to the military.

It is reported that Malaysia does not require functional separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, since 2015, there has been an obligation for accounting separation.

Chapter 3 of the Myanmar Telecommunications Law stipulates that any person, department, or business organisation, inside Myanmar or from abroad, willing to provide the following facilities and/or telecommunication services shall apply to the Directorate of Communication under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for permission and licence for the following services: (i) Network facility services (NFS); (b) Network Services (NS); and (ii) Application services (AS).
It is reported that the government issues tenders upon granting telecommunications licenses. The Government determines from a policy standpoint how many operators to let in. In addition, in 2020, it was reported that the government of Myanmar reportedly threatened to cancel licenses unless their holders complied with demands to block websites, including news outlets. Local government officials also stressed the need for providers to obtain permits to lay fibre-optic cables, build towers, and install Wi-Fi devices.

Pursuant to Directive No. 1/2017, the establishment of a commercial presence is mandated for the provision of services related to government procurement. As part of the qualification process, applicants are required to submit evidence demonstrating that they are registered companies in Myanmar and have fulfilled their relevant tax obligations.

Art. 28 of the Presidential Directive No. 1/2017 mandates that the Tender Acceptance and Evaluation Committee shall evaluate each of the technical proposals for public procurement in accordance with some standards, including the inclusion of local experts among the senior experts for the tasks to be assigned.

Myanmar is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), nor does it have observer status.

Section 3 of the State-Owned Economic Enterprise Law No. 9/89 stipulates that certain activities, including telecommunications services, are reserved exclusively for the State. However, the Government retains the authority to permit, via notification, the execution of these reserved activities through joint ventures between the Government and other individuals or economic organisations. It has been observed that the Government frequently grants exceptions to the exclusive rights of SOEs in various economic sectors, including telecommunications, by allowing joint ventures or issuing special licenses.

Art. 1(d) of the Myanmar Investment Commission Notification No. 15/2017 requires investments in telecommunication services, the production and distribution of satellite communication items, radar communication items and related equipment, radio communication, and the production and domestic marketing of mobile handset and telephone to get approval from the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunication.
According to Art. 64 of the Ministry of Planning and Finance Notification No. 35/2017, investment proposals are evaluated based on whether "the investment is compatible with national development, security, economic, social and cultural policies, taking into consideration development, security, economic, social and cultural policy objectives announced by the Government or the government of any State or Region affected by the investment."

According to Art. 110 of the Patent Law, where the applicant’s residence or principal place of business is outside the territory of the State, the patent application may be applied through the representative or patent agent who is registered in the prescribed manner by the Department in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

Myanmar is not a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

The Myanmar Copyright Law grants broad exemptions from economic rights, generally referring to the concept of 'fair practice.' Under Art. 24, an individual may reproduce a published work without the Rights Owner's authorisation solely for personal use. However, this reproduction must not result in the misuse of the literary or artistic work or infringe upon the legal rights of the Rights Owner. Notably, this exemption does not apply to the reproduction of works in the following categories: (i) architecture, such as buildings, (ii) musical works, (iii) whole or partial databases on digital platforms, and (iv) computer programs.

Myanmar has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Myanmar has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.