Iraqi mobile operators may be required to pay fees upfront

The Iraqi parliament has voted to order the country’s three mobile network operators to pay up their entire licence fee within a month, instead of being staggered over a five-year term as originally intended.

However, there is some confusion as to whether this is a binding order on the regulator, or just a recommendation by parliament to the government to then decide if it agrees.

If implemented, the country’s three operators will need to find US$2.85 billion in licence fees and outstanding regulatory fines within 30 days.

“The parliament voted … that the companies should pay their financial requirements valued at US$2.85 billion to the federal budget within 30 days from the date of the vote,” the parliament said in a statement, reported Reuters.

However, the nominally independent regulator said the vote was not binding on it, while an affiliate of the Ministry of Communications said that it would be.

Zain, Qatar Telecom’s Asiacell, and Korek Telecom are the country’s three mobile players, with a fourth licence understood to be in the offing imminently.