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Iran gives ZAIN a permit for operating the third cellular telephone network

2009-05-12

Gulf Daily News-TEHRAN: Iran has given a consortium led by ZAIN the country"s third mobile license, stripping it from Etisalat. A spokesman for Iran"s Communications Regulatory Authority said that Etisalat and Iran"s Tamin Telecom, which won the tender in January, had not fulfilled its obligations. "With the elimination of Etisalat"s consortium from the third operator project, ZAIN consortium which was the runner-up in the bidding, takes over the project" Mohammad Reza Farnaqi said. Iranian telecommunications minister Mohammad Soleimani said Etisalat was removed after failing to submit "the necessary collateral and payments of the license fee on the appropriate time. A ZAIN spokesman said the company was arranging talks with Iran about the license. Etisalat confirmed that it was no longer the winner of the license, but said it would "carefully review its options".