Iraq Telecommunications Report Q1 2013: New Research Report Available At Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research recommends "Iraq Telecommunications Report Q1 2013" from Business Monitor International, now available

by Bill Thompson

(WireNews+Co) - Boston, MA - 18 February 2013

BMI View: The Iraqi government has placed an exorbitant fee on 3G licences in the country. Although the network operators have voiced their displeasure, BMI believes the high cost of additional spectrum will not be a barrier for any of the three operators, which will all look to the positive consumer story in Iraq as justification for significant investments. However, we point to potential compromise over lower licence fees that could benefit consumers and the Iraqi economy.

Key Data

- The mobile market grew by 5.5% in Q312 and 11.2% in 9M12.
- Mobile ARPU fell marginally by 0.3% in Q312.
- Iraq had one of the lowest fixed-line and broadband penetration rates in the region at 5.5% and 0.4% respectively at the end of 2011.

View Full Report Details (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/536475_iraq_telecommunications_report_q1_2013.aspx?afid=201) (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/536475_iraq_telecommunications_report_q1_2013.aspx?afid=201)

Risk/Reward Ratings

Iraq dropped one place to eighth position in BMI's RRR table for Q113. The country scores below the regional average in all four categories of our ratings table as a difficult regulatory environment, including frequent government interference in policies and decisions, and political uncertainty counterbalance the positive economic outlook in the country, which is capable of driving demand for advanced telecoms services in the country.

Key Trends & Developments

Iraq's three mobile operators - Zain Iraq, Qtel-backed Asiacell and France Telecom-backed Korek Telecom - are gearing up to list at least 25% of their shares on the Iraqi stock exchange in 2013 in fulfilment of their licence conditions. The three operators were fined retrospectively in July 2012 for failing to meet the initial deadline of August 2011 and have now stepped up efforts to implement the directive, despite lingering concerns over the market's liquidity and its ability to attract high-value investors amid the security challenges and political uncertainty in the country. Zain and Asiacell have confirmed plans to complete their listing by Q113, and we expect Korek to have similar plans, although it was yet to make this public at the time of writing.

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