Baghdad: Minister of Communications Mustafa Sanad affirmed that developing the telecommunications sector in Iraq requires strengthening dialogue and understanding among stakeholders, noting the existence of challenges related to legislation, infrastructure, smuggling, and competition among companies.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, during his participation in a dialogue session on the second day of the Eighth Baghdad Dialogue Conference, Sanad stated that disagreements within the ministry and the absence of a specific law regulating its work represent the most prominent challenges. He added that the lack of dialogue and the failure to make the necessary concessions to resolve problems are behind many of the issues, emphasizing that dialogue sessions can contribute to addressing disagreements and strengthening understanding among the concerned parties.
Regarding smuggling, the Minister of Communications indicated that smuggling costs Iraq billions of dinars, and the resulting losses are estimated at approximately 250 billion dinars. Concerning companies and infrastructure, Sanad explained that IQ Company, a Kurdish company, is operating well in a number of governorates, pointing out that there is infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region that the ministry cannot access.
He noted that competition among companies operating in the telecommunications sector has increased in recent days, stressing the need to regulate the relationship between the various parties and address the problems facing the sector. Sanad pointed to the necessity of the Ministry’s intervention to resolve Earthlink’s problem in the Anbar and Nineveh governorates, explaining that there are two competing companies in each governorate, and the problems must be addressed to ensure the continuity and development of services.
Regarding the future of cooperation in the telecommunications sector, Sanad affirmed that Earthlink and other entities are currently partners of the Ministry, but Starlink will become a partner within two years. He clarified that agreements and cooperation between the concerned parties can pave the way for developing the telecommunications sector and launching new technologies and services in Iraq, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts to keep pace with developments in next-generation technology.