US mobile carrier MCI has been awarded a GSM network contract in Iraq. The network, worth a reported $45 million, has a target operational date set for June, said an MCI representative.
The deal follows recent news that the US military is to make a substantial commitment to the standard by purchasing a number of complete GSM systems that will be deployed at a number of its establishments.
Iraq will eventually join a global GSM wireless network with a community of almost one billion customers, marking another stage in the end of the isolation of the country and its people. There are already more than 60 million customers in 20 countries in the Arab world and this decision will help to ease Iraq's re-assimilation into the region.
MCI, formerly WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection last year after disclosing a massive accounting scandal. The company expects to emerge from bankruptcy later this year. Although it no longer operates a wireless network in the US, MCI played a role in getting a similar mobile phone network into operation in Afghanistan. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
