Speaking to Reuters recently, Iraq’s communications minister, Mohammed Allawi, said he believes the auction for a fourth mobile phone operator license at the end of this year could fetch between $1 billion and $2 billion. Similarly, Allawi said that the licensing fees, installation and equipment required to install a new network would cost between $1 billion and $2 billion. 40% of the revenues raised from the auction would be given to the mobile operator, 35% would be given to the public, and the final 25% would be given to Iraq’s communication ministry. In 2007 AsiaCell, Korek Telcom, and Zain paid $1.25 billion each for 15-year mobile phone operator licenses. Allawi hopes that the fourth license will be used for faster data networks. “Regarding the fourth license, the most important thing about it is that we are going for more advanced technology,” Allawi said. ”Until this moment, we have no 3G in Iraq, we have no 4G. We have only GSM.”
