London conference provides opportunity for telecom firms to work in Iraq (28/06/05)

Iraq’s Ministry of Telecommunications and National Communications and Media Commission have announced that they will shortly be launching the bidding process for new mobile phone licenses in Iraq, with a conference to take place in partnership with the Iraq Development Program in London on 21-22 July.

The announcement came at the Iraq Development Program economic summit in Amman, where commission chief Dr Siyamend Othman announced the plans for the summit in the presence of Iraqi Minister of Telecommunications Juwan Masum.

The Iraq Mobile Telecommunications Licensing Conference will provide the official platform for discussing all issues relating to the awarding of Iraq’s new mobile telecommunications licenses. Among those due to be in attendance will be senior executives from major mobile phone operators as well as Iraqi government officials, to ensure transparency for the bidding process.

Communications experts predict that there will be five million mobile phone users in Iraq within the next three years, extending to eight million within the next 10 years. The whole range of mobile communications will be covered at the conference, including GSM, wireless local loop, emergency communications, trunking and IP telephony.

“The commission is enthusiastic that the conference will attract the leading telecommunications operators, investors, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, system integrators, consultants, service providers, software, security and IT companies and all parties interested in the mobile telecommunications industry in Iraq,” said John Glassey, a director at International Procurement Services.

More information about the event has been made available online.