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Iraq courts companies for fourth mobile phone operator license

ICT Materials 5 January 2010 13:21 (UTC +04:00)
The Iraqi government is in talks with mobile phone companies to launch a fourth mobile phone network in the country, the Baghdad-based al-Sabah newspaper reported Tuesday.
Iraq courts companies for fourth mobile phone operator license

The Iraqi government is in talks with mobile phone companies to launch a fourth mobile phone network in the country, the Baghdad-based al-Sabah newspaper reported Tuesday.

"After the cabinet approved the license in principle, the Ministry (of Communications) began to take serious steps to meet many companies with long experience in this area," Deputy Minister of Communications Amir Khudair al-Bayati said, DPA reported.

The cabinet in July approved plans to set up a fourth mobile phone network. AsiaCell, Kuwait's Zain Group, AsiaCell, and Korek Telecom now hold Iraq's three mobile phone licenses.

Each license fetched 1.25 billion dollars in a 2007 auction.

In May, the Iraqi government fined the companies for poor service. Zain was ordered to pay 18.6 million dollars, Korek 1.2 million dollars and AsiaCell 1.1 million dollars.

Al-Bayati told al-Sabah that the awarding of a fourth contract should not be seen as "a strike against the three companies now operating in Iraq."

Iraq simply seeks another company that "can provide good service at affordable prices," he said, stressing that the license for the fourth mobile network would be awarded in a fair and competitive fashion.

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