Subject: [NEXTEL-1] DoD begins Iraqi mobile-license investigation

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 16:14:31 -0500

DoD begins Iraqi mobile-license investigation
By Jeffrey Silva
November 26 11:58:00, 2003

WASHINGTON—The Department of Defense Tuesday said it has begun to investigate
allegations of wrongdoing in connection with the award of three mobile-phone
licenses in Iraq last month to a group of Arab consortia that plan to deploy GSM
wireless networks in the war-torn country.

“It is the subject of a DoD inspector general preliminary inquiry,” said Lt.
Col. Kenneth McClellan, a Pentagon spokesman.

Egypt's Orascom Telecom was picked to operate a cell-phone system in central
Iraq; Asia-Cell in the northern part of the country; and Atheer, which is
reportedly associated with Mobile Telecommunications Co. of Kuwait, in the
southern region. The U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority headed a review of
35 applications and the selection process.

The three consortia were poised to get the official go-ahead to begin rollout of
mobile-phone systems any day now. It is unclear whether the probe will set back
a licensing process that has been mired in controversy and delay from the start.

Motorola Inc. is the primary equipment supplier to Orascom.

“We have no knowledge of an investigation, preliminary or otherwise,” said Norm
Sandler, director of global strategic issues for Motorola.

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=16072

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