Iraqi Operators Fined for License Breaches

The Iraqi government has upheld fines against two of the country's three mobile operators, after a meeting last year found that the three networks were in breach of their license conditions.

All three networks have failed to meet QoS requirements, while Korek Telecom has been censured for failing to meet coverage requirements.

However, the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED) reported that while Zain was fined US$9 million and Asiacell faces a fine of US$300,000 - Korek Telecom has been excused any financial penalty.

Hayam al-Yasiri, an adviser at the Communications Ministry also noted that the three operators had yet to pay for their mobile licences in full.

Zain has not ruled out an appeal against the fine. "Zain will do its due diligence to see whether these fines are justified and will react in the interests of our stakeholders," a spokesman for the company told MEED.

The Mobile World subscriber tracker reports that Zain ended last September with around 8.5 million customers, compared to just under 5.6 million for Asiacell.

On the web: Middle East Economic Digest - Mobile World

Posted to the site on 26th January 2009