Subject: [NEXTEL-1] US calls time on Iraq mobile firm

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 09:41:30 -0400

US calls time on Iraq mobile firm
Mon, Jul 28 2003

Last week there were widespread stories about the mysterious mobile phone
network that showed up in Baghdad. Plenty of people were confused, since
bidding for spectrum licenses had not yet occurred and no one was exactly
sure who was providing the service. There were rumors that it was Vodafone,
but it later turned out to be regional firm Batelco who just went in and
built the damn network, instead of waiting for the bureaucracy to sort
itself out. Now, the US government - horrified that a company could build
something useful without first paying for it - has told them to turn the
network off. They'd much rather stop useful communications in Baghdad, then
let it continue, if it's going to cause problems for their spectrum auction.
Now, it's possible that a more organized rollout of cellular service makes
sense to avoid eventual problems - but it seems silly to make a company
completely turn off a working, useful, needed network in the meantime.

http://www.techdirt.com/news/wireless/

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US calls time on Iraq mobile firm

The US authorities in Iraq have asked a Bahraini firm to stop running
Baghdad's first mobile phone service.
Batelco unexpectedly launched its mobile roaming service last week, allowing
the country's few cellphone owners to make and receive calls around the
world.

But the authorities were concerned that a renegade service provider could
upset its own plans to put Iraqi mobile licenses up for tender next week.

Since Batelco had not applied for a license of its own, the Coalition
Provisional Authority (CPA) has asked the firm to shut down its roaming
facility.

The firm said it had already spent $5m (£3.1m) on infrastructure in Baghdad
and did not want to stop.

'We want to work'

The company insisted it was in the process of putting its Iraqi operations
on a legal footing.

It insisted it had asked the CPA for a license, and that it planned to
invest over $50m in the country.

It launched its service last week without permission, it said, because there
was no authority in existence to grant licenses.

"We don't want to create enemies... We are here to help," said regional
operations manager Rashid al-Snan.

"There is a huge demand for the service. We would like the opportunity to
continue to work."

Tender time

As for fully licensed mobile services, the CPA said these would take "weeks
rather than months".

Mobile services were banned under Saddam Hussein - except for a handful of
top officials - and about half of the country's landlines were knocked out
of service during the US-led invasion.

Next week's tender, which closes in mid-August, remains open to all bidders,
even Batelco, CPA said.

A number of firms, mainly based around the Middle East, have already said
they will be participating.

But the CPA has not yet decided whether Iraq's future mobile network will be
based on US technology, or on the more popular European GSM standard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/3104285.stm

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