The latest Zain Business News Iraq – Mobile phone service, networks, Asiacell, Korek Telecom & more – brought to you by Iraq Business News
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 […]
With 12 million subscribers in Iraq, Kuwait’s Zain is the market leader in the Iraq Telecoms industry, currently considering several tender offers to manage its telecoms network in Iraq. Zain is likely to award the contract in the next few weeks; the winner will be able to improve the network quality, while Zain will focus […]
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 […]
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 […]
According to a report from Iraq's National Media Centre, the provincial government in Diwaniya will close the regional offices of mobile phone operator Zain Telecom on Saturday, in solidarity with the campaign to boycott the company to pressure it to improve its services. The Chairman of the council's Committee on Transport and Communications complained about […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
UAE telecom Etisalat has not ruled out expansion into Iraq after dropping its $12bn bid for a chunk of Kuwait’s Zain that would have given it access to the market, a senior executive said, according to a report from Arabian Business. “We are looking at all opportunities,” said Ahmed Bin Ali, group senior vice president […]
Iraq's communications minister said he expected the country's planned fourth mobile phone licence to fetch between $1 billion to $2 billion [2.4 trillion Iraqi dinars] in an auction expected by the end of this year. According to Reuters, Mohammed Allawi said the expected cost for the licence, including installations and infrastructure costs, could be in […]
Cordiant Capital, the Montreal based fund manager that specialises in loans to emerging markets, has committed $50 million to fund the expansion of Iraq’s mobile phone network. Mobile penetration in Iraq is estimated at just 77%, lagging far behind most of its neighbouring countries where penetration rates are virtually 100%. The loan is part of […]
