Qtel and Zain interested in Iran licence

The sale of a new national wireless licence in Iran is expected to attract at least two of the Middle East’s biggest telcos, reports suggest. According to MEED, Qtel of Qatar and Zain of Kuwait are both lining up bids for the concession, while MegaFon and Vimpelcom of Russia are also being linked as potential buyers. The tender will begin within the next few days, the government has announced. The new operator will compete against existing national licensees TCI and MTN Irancell plus pre-paid operator Taliya.