Etisalat chairman says the UAE-based telecom services provider is in talks with Iranian officials regarding its bid for a third mobile license.

In an interview with Arabian Business at the World Economic Forum in Jordan on Friday, Mohammed Omran said that Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) is still negotiating with the Iran’s Regulations and Radio Communications Organization (IRRCO) to push through with its Iranian operation.
Omran also stressed that his multinational company will not be working with its previous partner, Iran’s Tamin Telecom.
In January, a consortium, including Etisalat and Iran’s Tamin Telecom had won an international tender to acquire Iran’s third mobile phone license.
“The Iranian regulator did not strip Etisalat of the country’s third mobile license; but disagreement with its local partner may have cost the company the license,” the chairman of Etisalat highlighted.
Omran added, “The local partner that controls the consortium that was awarded the license wanted to change the terms of the deal, which put it at odds with the Iranian regulator.”
The UAE’s biggest telecommunications company was stripped of Iran’s third mobile license this week after the Iranian regulator claimed that Etisalat had failed ‘to give necessary guarantees and license fees on time’.
‘Etisalat will carefully review its options and will revert back to the Iranian authorities in due course with a formal response. Etisalat is, and has always been, committed to the development of the Iranian telecom market and perceives Iran as a great investment opportunity,’ a statement released by the Emirati company later said.
Next in line to become Iran’s third mobile operator is Kuwait-based Zain Group. Zain came second in the original bidding in December 2008, which saw the concession awarded to Etisalat for USD 399m.
This is while spokesman for Zain, Ibrahim Adel, has told reporters, “It is an interesting opportunity and something we will evaluate, but we will evaluate it in the context of the changes as the bids were submitted well over a year ago, and the world has changed.”
Etisalat currently provides world class GSM and other telecommunications services in 17 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Etisalat and other telecom companies in the Middle East are eyeing Iran, which has an estimated mobile penetration rate of 55 per cent.
(Source: Press TV)