Tag Archives | Korek

Iraqi Firms Need Foreign Expertise as much as Capital

By Sherif Salem. While attending an investment conference in Erbil in November, I was struck by a theme that came through in almost all my meetings with listed-company executives: a desire to engage with foreign companies. It seems as if expertise is more in demand than capital as companies look to grow and take advantage […]

Iraqi Mobile Phone Operators Appeal Against Fines

Iraq's three main mobile phone companies -- Zain, Asiacell and Korek -- have appealed against a communications regulator decision to fine them for failing to list on the local stock exchange, reports Reuters. Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) fined the companies for missing the August 2011 deadline to list on the local bourse, which […]

Asiacell Approved for Stock Exchange Listing

By John Lee. Asiacell has become the first mobile operator to reach an initial agreement to list on the Iraqi bourse, according to a report from Reuters. The company, part of Qatar Telecommunications, along with its two rivals Zain Iraq and Korek, were required to float their shares on the stock market as a condition […]

Iraq Watchdog to Fine Zain for Failing to List

By John Lee. Following its recent fine on mobile phone operators Asiacell and Korek, Iraq's communications regulator is to fine Zain Iraq $12,864 a day since September of last year for failing to list on the country's stock exchange, according to Reuters. The three companies are required to list on the local stock exchange as […]

Iraq to Fine Asiacell, Korek for Failing to List

Iraq's communications regulator has decided to fine mobile phone operator Asiacell $8,500 per day since September 1, 2011 for failing to list on the local stock exchange, according to a report from Reuters. Ahmed Alomary, commissioner of Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC), also told the agency that the regulator had also decided to fine […]

Zain Iraq Invests $20m to List on Stock Market

Iraq's biggest mobile phone operator, Zain Iraq, has invested about $20 million in its efforts to list on the local stock exchange, according to a report from Reuters. Chief executive Emad Makiya told the agency: "We have invested a lot of money. We have invested over $20 million in this. We have hired lawyers, we […]

Qatar Telecom Doubles Asiacell Stake for $1.5bn

Reuters reports that Qatar Telecom (Qtel) is to double its stake in Asiacell, Iraq's second biggest mobile operator, to 60 percent for $1.47 billion. Qtel will initially increase its stake to 53.9 percent from 30 percent, with a further increase pending Iraqi government and regulatory approval. Qtel did not identify the sellers of the stake, but […]

Korek Awaits Spectrum Allocation to Launch 3G

Korek Telecom hopes to launch a third-generation (3G) network later this year, but is waiting for the Iraqi government to allocate the necessary spectrum, the operator's chief executive said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The company, in which France Telecom and Kuwait's Agility own stakes, claims a 70 percent market share in Kurdistan. Yet its […]

M:Communications to Support Zain IPO

PRweek reports that the Iraqi unit of Kuwaiti telecoms company Zain has hired PR agency support in advance of its listing on the Iraq Stock Exchange. The firm has been planning an initial public offering (IPO) in Iraq since the summer and has asked London-based M:Communications to support communications relating to the listing process. M: […]

Iraq Bourse Faces Challenge in Listing Telecom Firms

Foreign investors’ appetite for Iraq’s stock market is rising before planned IPOs by the country’s three mobile telephone operators, but the fledgling market’s small size means it may struggle to cope with the listings, according to a report from Gulf News. The Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) is an outpost of private sector business in Iraq, […]

Ericsson sees Vast Untapped Potential in Iraq

Ericsson has reiterated the vast, untapped potential of Iraq’s telecommunication market. Speaking at the sixth Iraq Telecom 2011, Ericsson’s Executive Vice President for Region Middle East, Tunç Yorulmaz highlighted how the Iraqi market is now ready to move towards implementing Mobile Broadband considering its saturated voice market, increasing GDP per capita and increasing internet usage […]

Iraq Stock Market Capitalization to Double

Iraq's stock exchange market will double its capitalization to $8 billion once the three main mobile-phone companies operating in the country are listed, according to Taha A. Abdulsalam, chief executive of the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX). The three mobile phone operators, Asiacell, Korek Telecom, and Zain Iraq, are required by the terms to their licences […]