IRAQI MOBILE TENDER CONFERENCE SET FOR AMMAN

UNCLAS AMMAN 004588 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EB/CIP/GROSS TDA FOR SIGLER USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/MAC/ONE/PTHANOS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECPS EINV ETRD IZ JO SUBJECT: IRAQI MOBILE TENDER CONFERENCE SET FOR AMMAN ¶1. Action recommendation at paragraph 4. ¶2. (U) The Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq (CPA) announced July 21 that a bidders' conference for companies with an interest in a recently-issued mobile telecom services tender in Iraq would be held in Amman July 31. The tender, which will be published July 28, will offer licenses to operate mobile telecom networks in Iraq. Up to three licenses are expected to be made available. ¶3. (U) Featured speakers at the one-day conference, to be held at the Amman Grand Hyatt, include: Jordanian Minister of Information Communications and Technology Fawaz Zu'bi; Dr. Shakir Abdullah, Secretary General of the Iraqi Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC); Abdul Latif, Director General of the Iraq Telegraph and Posts Company; Jim Davies, Senior CPA Communications Advisor to the MOTC; and David Leech, MOTC Communications Director. In addition to the bidding process, the conference will cover the future of mobile network telephone services, data networks, and Internet services in Iraq. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak directly with CPA and MOTC telecom officials. ¶4. (U) RECOMMENDATION: Due to the short notice of the conference announcement and limited tender process, organizers request that regional posts advise local telecom sector leads of the conference and tender offer promptly. Online registration and additional conference and tender information are available at www.IraqiTelcomTender.com, and questions may be sent to info@iraqitender.com or via conference organizer Thuraya Husseini at 00-962-6-566-4916. ¶5. (U) Minimize Baghdad considered. HALE