(Telecompaper) Norway-based Telenor and Qatar Telecom have won the contest for new operator licences in Myanmar. The two companies beat off nine other candidates and will compete against the two existing operators in Myanmar. A consortium of France Telecom-Orange and Japanese company Marubeni has been named a back-up candidate if for some reason the two winners do not complete the licensing process, Dow Jones reported. The 15-year licences will be issued by September and will carry coverage requirements aimed at serving the country's rural population. The operators will also have to share infrastructure and commit to offering low initial subscription fees. Other bidders for the licences were India-based Airtel, Malaysia's Axiata, Digicel, Millicom, Vietnam's Viettel, Singtel in a consortium with local operator M-Tel, MTN and a consortium led by Japan's KDDI and Sumitomo. Vodafone and China Mobile earlier planned to bid for a licence, but withdrew their offer after further evaluation of the investment case.