Mobiles spring to life in Iraq

A mobile phone roaming service is mysteriously available in Baghdad, bringing service - banned in Saddam Hussein's secret state - to ordinary people in the Iraqi capital for the first time.

Yet officially, a tender for three mobile phone licences the United States-led administration plans to offer across Iraq has yet to take place.

A US military spokesman could not immediately say why the phones were working or what that meant for the tender.

The service providers involved were unavailable for comment.

Callers with foreign registered GSM phones were able to make and receive calls and send text messages to countries as far away as the US and South Africa.

Few Iraqis have suitable phones for now.

Foreigners working in Baghdad have widely relied on pricey satellite telephones to stay in touch.

"MTC-Vodafone wishes you a pleasant stay in Kuwait," a text message sent to roamers in Baghdad said.

More here

...Verizon is a joint venture of the old BellAtlantic and Vodafone. Vodafone is the one offering the GSM service in Iraq.

Funny. Vodafone is British. They and Verizon be pissed as hell at being excluded by the Bushistas, and since they have the ability and the technology, they went in univited.

Seems Bush Admin has a problem here. How can a government that overran a country without permission penalize a comany that offers a service without permission?

Later,
JM

I work for Verizon (not the wireless division), and Vodaphone is our partner for US wireless service.

I don't know what Vodaphone is doing in Iraq, but hey -- why not?

That the Iraqis don't have basic services like water and electricity, but they can talk on cell phones? I think the priorities here are a little skewed.

but communication in today's world is key to getting things done.

Getting comm is a priority in business and in the military for a reason. When people communicate, problems do get solved.

And cell phones are good to get information and news out to the rest of the world.

That's what I was thinking. I would rather have electricity and sewer and water before i need a phone. Commo is important though. Any resistance to imperial control will have their phones tapped or triangulated.

this could be a bad sign for the troups.

Oh I am sure the junta forsaw this happening. <sarcasm on>

They somehow got the exclusive mobile phone contract for Baghdad. Their contract is for $4000 per phone. The Pentagon awarded them the contract without taking competitive bids.

So maybe the U.S. will have to start arresting GSM users. Maybe they'll call GSM phones WMDs.

http://www.boardwatch.com/document.asp?doc_id=37409

Iridium Offers Iraq Service



ARLINGTON, Va. -- Iridium Satellite LLC, provider of global satellite voice and data communications, today announced that it has been authorised by the office of the Coalition Provisional Authority (the current governing authority of Iraq) and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to provide and sell Iridium's mobile satellite communications services, subscriber terminals, and related equipment in Iraq. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has responsibility, by order of the Coalition Provisional Authority, for licensing all commercial telecommunications services in Iraq.

(more)

Apparently Vodafone Kuwait has extended their network into Iraq - an expired article from Yahoo news, available from the Google cache.

Article here

Edit - bloody typos...