(Telecompaper) Vietnamese mobile operator Viettel has been granted the right to negotiate with a local consortium for a minority stake in a company that is expected to be awarded Myanmar's fourth telecoms licence. Viettel, owned by Vietnam's defence ministry, was one of seven foreign companies to express interest in a tender launched at end-2015. Viettel was the only operator to submit its proposal by the deadline on 18 March, The Myanmar Times reports. A government statement confirmed the decision for the Vietnamese operator to work with 11 local firms and a unit owned by Myanmar's Defence Ministry to set up a fourth network in the country.