Tag Archives | Ooredoo

Asiacell: Customers Up, Profits Down

By John Lee. Qatar-based Ooredoo has reported that its Iraqi subsidiary, Asiacell, substantially grew its customers during the year, increasing by 15% to 12.3 million compared to 10.7 million at FY 2013. In its 2014 Full Year Results, it said Asiacell faced the challenge of the growing security issue in the country during the year, […]

Asiacell Revenues Down 10%

By John Lee. In its results for the first nine months of 2014, Qatari telecom provider Ooredoo has reported that revenues at its Iraqi unit Asiacell are down 10 percent. The company gave the following update on operations in Iraq: "Asiacell continued to face the challenge of political and social instability during the period, allied […]

$307m Bill for 3G Spectrum

By John Lee. Iraq is reportedly seeking $307 million [358 billion Iraqi dinars] from each of the country's three mobile phone operators for spectrum to run 3G (third-generation) services. According to Reuters, all three operators – Zain Iraq (owned by Kuwait's Zain), Asiacell (owned by Ooredoo) and Korek (Orange) – paid $1.25 billion each for so-called "technology-neutral" […]

Zain Maintains Plan for IPO

By Patrick M Schmidt. Despite more than a three year delay and the current security situation in Iraq, Zain has announced that they still intend to commit to their initial public offering. "Against the backdrop of security and safety issues, Zain Iraq is today mainly focused on maintaining its network and providing much needed mobile […]

Asiacell Sales Decline

By John Lee. Mobile operator Asiacell has posted an 8 percent drop in sales in the first half of 2014, due to the security situation and increased competition. In its first half results its parent company, the Qatar-based Ooredoo, made the following statement: "Asiacell faced a growing wave of political and social instability during the […]

Asiacell Profits Fall

By John Lee. Mobile operator Asiacell has posted a 12.2 percent drop in annual net profit. Reuters reports that the company, part of Qatar-based Ooredoo, made a net profit of 581 billion dinars ($498.62 million) in 2013, down from 662 billion dinars a year earlier. Profit was impacted "non-recurring items - mainly related to tax […]

Ooredoo hits out at Iraq Delays

By John Lee. Qatari telecommunications operator Ooredoo, which owns the Iraqi mobile phone company Asiacell, has hit out at prices quoted by the Iraqi government for a long-delayed auction for 3G spectrum licences. Company CEO Dr Nasser Marafih (pictured) told Arabian Business: “The country needs it, the people need it. We are ready to deploy […]

3G Licences "at Least $307m Each"

By John Lee. Ahmed Alomary, a former commissioner at the Communications and Media Commission (CMC), told Reuters that Iraq plans to auction third-generation (3G) telecommunications licences for a minimum of $307 million each. Current 2G services are supplied by Zain Iraq (a unit of Kuwait's Zain), Asiacell (a subsidiary of Ooredoo) and Orange affiliate Korek, who […]