Iran rejects Zain, relaunches mobile tender

Iranian newspaper Poul has reported that a new tender will be held to find a strategic investor to launch the country’s third mobile network. Iran’s telecoms minister Mohammad Soleimani was quoted as saying that Kuwaiti-based Zain Group, which had been offered the third operating licence in May, had ‘not fulfilled obligations’. It had looked like Zain would pick up the combined 2G/3G concession after the Tehran government stripped it from UAE-based Etisalat, which had won a tender with local partner Tamin Telecom in January. According to state officials, Etisalat’s licence award was cancelled because it had failed to meet required collateral commitments and was late paying fees.