United Arab Emirates’ telecoms group Etisalat has won the third mobile licence in Iran in a consortium with a local company, Taameen Telecom, owned by the Iranian Social Security Organisation (SSO). Etisalat owns 49% of the consortium, while Taameen Telecom the remaining 51%. The new licence includes 2G and 3G frequencies, with a two-year exclusivity for the provision of 3G services in Iran. Etisalat’s Iranian licence, which gives it access to 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz spectrum bands, costs €300 million. It has already been approved by the government.

Emirates Telecommunications Corporation- Etisalat today announced that it has officially won the third mobile network license in the Islamic Republic of Iran in consortium with Taameen Telecom, a company owned by the Iranian Social Security Organization (SSO) that serves more than 30 million Iranians through pension funds. The new license includes 2G and 3G with a two year exclusivity for offering the latter.

Final announcement by the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) was made following obtaining official approval of the government in Islamic Republic of Iran. Etisalat won over other bidders in terms of technical qualifications and its offer of revenue sharing percentage with the government throughout the license duration.  Upfront license fee is 300 million EUROs and Etisalat’s share in the consortium is 49%. With this Etisalat enters its eighteenth market.
 
This new win demonstrates the success of  Etisalat's rapid investment strategies and boosts its commitment to providing enhanced customer services and enabling technologies to the largest markets in the region based on best international practice.
 
Mohammad Hassan Omran, Chairman, Etisalat, said: "Winning the third mobile license in the Islamic Republic of Iran further consolidates Etisalat’s position as the leading telecommunications operator in the region and shows its competitive edge and strength to enter new markets and support telecommunications sectors in these markets”.

“We have been always keen to enter the Iranian Telecom market as it fits our growth strategies. The Islamic Republic of Iran has a very attractive investment environment and our intention was endorsed by careful studies for the Iranian market and all the economy indicators.”  added Omran.
 
Omran expressed his appreciation to the CRA for their transparency throughout the bidding process.

Etisalat currently operates in 17 international markets with combined total population of 1.6 bn people and has more than 74 Million subscribers.
 
“The telecom market in the Islamic Republic of Iran has a very promising future, mainly due to its rapidly growing population estimated at 73 million people, young generation constitutes a large percentage of the population, and the low penetration rate of mobile telephony and other telecommunications services with around 40 million 2G subscribers divided between two national operators and 3 other regional operators. We are confident of the growth potential of this important market especially with our two year exclusivity to offer 3G services” Said Jamal Al Jarwan, CEO International Investments, Etisalat
 
Etisalat has established itself as an international player by managing and operating telecom companies in international markets including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, Togo, and Ivory Coast, Egypt, Nigeria , Indonesia, Afghanistan and most recently India . The Corporation owns stake in operators such as Qatar Telecom (Qtel), and Sudatel, in addition to its investments and management of satellite telecommunications service provider-   Thuraya that covers 170 countries in various parts of the world.
 
Etisalat has considerable experience in providing all types of telecommunication services including mobile and telecommunications-related services, Internet, cable TV, and a range of other services.

Source: http://www.etisalat.ae/index.jsp?lang=en&type=content&currentid=10c8e15c0b56a010VgnVCM1000000a0a0a0a____
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