French telecom giant Alcatel is to start work on a $76 million project to revamp Iraq's battered telephone network, the Oman Observer English-language daily reported on Tuesday, citing an Iraqi telecoms official.
However, a Chinese firm has pulled out of a $28 million plan to set up a mobile telephone network in Iraq, the Iraqi weekly Al Rafidain quoted the same official as saying on Tuesday.
The deal with the French telecommunications titan was part of a series of contracts recently approved by the UN sanctions committee, the official added.
According to the reports, Alcatel will build a new international telephone exchange with a capacity of 1,200 lines and a microwave telephone network linking Baghdad with central and southern provinces.
Alcatel will also enhance the capacities of existing telephone exchanges in Baghdad and set up new exchanges with a capacity of 280,000 lines, the reports added – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
