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Amman,
29 June (AKI) - Iraq will set the framework for
international bidding for new mobile phone licences
next month, according to the head of the Iraqi
telecommunications office (ICMC).
Siyamend Othman, speaking at a development forum in
Jordan, said the bidding process would be opened
during a conference in London on July 21-22, the
Jordan Times reports. The event is expected to
attract representatives of the main global phone
operators and establish the terms and duration of
the new licences, which will replace three licences
issued by the US-led occupation authority in 2003.
The number of cellphone users in Iraq is predicted
to reach eight million within ten years. At the
moment, the Iraqi market is divided regionally
between three major operators, Egypt's Orascom (centra
Iraql) Atheer - a branch of Kuwait's MTC (southern
Iraq) and Asiacell - Iraqi-Gulf consortium (northern
Iraq). There were allegations of graft and kickbacks
in the awarding of those licences and Iraq's new
government is keen to ensure transparency in the
next tenders.
Othman also said he hoped that the Internet suffix .iq
would soon be back on the Internet. "We are at the
final stages of negotiations for the return of .iq
and we are quite optimistic that we can do so in the
coming weeks" he added.
www.adnki.com
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