Iraq's Cell Phone Industry Thrives Despite War.Fierce Bidding for Iraq's Cell Phone

[SoCalDem]

Source: ABCNews

Iraq's Cell Phone Industry Thrives Despite War
Fierce Bidding for Iraq's Cell Phone Licenses Ends in Billion-Dollar Deal
By TROY MCMULLEN

BAGHDAD, Aug. 17, 2007 —

An Iraqi speaks on his phone inside a mobile phone shop in Baghdad, 20 March 2006. Three years after the US-led invasion to Iraq, mobile phone use has mushroomed. Mobile phones were banned during the regime of ousted leader Saddam Hussein. (Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty)

A major milestone toward the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure was reached today when the Iraqi government sold three cellular telephone licensesestimated to be worth just $5 million in 2003 for $3.75 billion. The three winning bids were from Mobile Telecommunications of Kuwait; Asiacell, which is part of Kuwait's Wataniya Telecom; and Iraq-based Korek Telecom. They won the rights to provide mobile service in a country that continues to rely heavily on wireless phones after war and sanctions disrupted land-line service.

The three firms, which already run networks in the war-torn country, made the highest bids in two days of auctions that ended today in Amman, Jordan, according to the Finance Ministry.

The new 15-year licenses handed out today replace three short-term contracts awarded soon after the American-led invasion. The firms will share 18 percent of their revenues with the Iraqi government and pay a 15 percent tax on profits, the Finance Ministry says.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3492213&page=1

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And yet they don't have potable water, security, jobs, schools, sewage systems, electricity..

but hey.. "Can you hear me now?"

[ohio2007]

1. They don't need the "land line" infrastructure to keep in touch

A first world technology in the hands of third world citizens. I'm suprised if the Wireless modem stories don't start to make headlines.
WiFi shrinks the world even faster then a one on one text message

jmo

[tchunter]

2. gotta use something to detonate IED's

mobile phones are some of the easiest to manufacture and most effective detonators used for roadside bombs.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. somebody told me the US was trying to force a shitty American system on Iraq,

An engineer I know at AT&T says the US government is trying to force Iraq (using our tax dollars) to adopt a US built cellular system called CDMA made by Qualcomm instead of the international standard GSM used in the middle east and everywhere else on earth. He says CDMA is the BetaMax of cell phone systems and even if we build the system in Iraq - the Iraqi's won't use it.

[bemildred]

4. And nobody bombs the cell towers. nt