Tag Archives | Telecommunications

The latest Iraq Telecommunications News – mobile phones, Iraqi Communications and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News

US to Provide Iraq with Phone and Text Monitoring

The U.S. is planning to provide Iraqi authorities with technology to monitor and record telephone calls and text messages, according to a report from Mobiledia. Spokesman for the U.S. forces in Iraq, Geoffrey Buchanan, told Radio Free Iraq that a deal was signed with Iraq's Interior Ministry to provide it with the new technology as […]

New Iraqi Mobile Phone Licences Expected Next Week

The Iraqi Communications Ministry announced on Tuesday that it will launch the fourth round of licensing for mobile phone companies next week. According to the report from AKnews, the licences will be granted next week but any agreements will have to be confirmed by the cabinet. A statement from Communications Minister, Mohammed Allawi, said that […]

Iraq Mobile Operators Facing Mandatory IPO Deadline

Iraqi operators Asiacell, Korek Telecom and Zain are facing a mandatory deadline for an initial public offering of stock, with reports stating that the companies have to sell-off a 25 percent holding on the local stock exchange within four years of acquiring their licences, according to Mobile Business Briefing. This means that the companies must […]

Zain Iraq Planning Stock Market Launch

Zain's Iraq subsidiary is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Iraq Stock Exchange that will raise an estimated $80 million [96 billion Iraqi dinars] for a 20% stake, the Kuwait Arabic daily al-Qabas reports. As a condition of its operating licence, the company is required to list its shares on the Iraqi […]

Zain Considers Offers to Manage its Network

Kuwait’s Zain is considering several tender offers to manage its telecoms network in Iraq and will likely award the contract in the next few weeks, a company spokesman has said. According to Reuters, Zain refused to name bidders for the managed service agreement, but said there were at least three, with international players such as […]

High Costs Hamper Iraqi Telecoms

Telecommunications should be one of the hottest growth industries in Iraq, but according to a report from Reuters, providers have yet to introduce 3G technology into a market where the military jams mobile phone networks to stop insurgents detonating bombs. Poor infrastructure, high operating costs, conflicts between communications regulators and security problems are stunting development […]

Asiacell Revenues Up 17% year-on-year

Asiacell has stated that its revenues increased 17% year-on-year to US$377.29 million in Q1, according to a report from Wireless Federation. EBITDA rose 14% to US$213.63 million, with EBITDA margin falling 1% to 57%. Revenue and EBITDA growth was driven by increased customer base and increased usage. At the end of Q1, Asiacell had 8.306 […]

Zain Iraq Chooses Nokia Siemens Networks

Zain Iraq is unifying its subscriber data, currently distributed across the network, into a single database using the Nokia Siemens Networks’ One-NDS platform. One-NDS enables real-time data access across multiple applications. It addresses Zain’s need for a resilient and high capacity subscriber data repository to meet its growth targets by introducing flexibility not found in […]

Iraq's Kalimat May IPO Next Year

According to a report from Reuters, Iraqi telecom operator Kalimat plans to invest $250 million in 2011, and to launch an initial public offering (IPO) next year. The company's chief executive, Wilson Varghese, said the planned IPO should help the company to expand as it eyes a nationwide rollout of services by the end of […]

Zain Links Iraq to Jordan via Fiber-optic Cable

Dr. Abdulmalek Al-Jaber, CEO of Zain Jordan, part of Kuwait's Zain Group, has announced the full hook-up of its network to neighbouring Iraq via an optical fibre cable, Kuna has reported. The Jordanian network has been linked to the Iraqi network using an optical fiber cable that continues to Baghdad, he said. "The hook-up enables […]

Zain Iraq Plans to Invest $100m in Kurdish Zone

The Iraqi unit of Kuwait telecoms firm Zain is planning to spend $100m this year as part of its plan to expand throughout the entire Kurdish region over the next five months, its chief executive said yesterday. Emad Makiya, CEO of Zain Iraq, the country’s biggest mobile phone operator, said the firm planned to extend […]