Zain targets 13m mobile subs by year-end

Mobile operator Zain Iraq is hoping to add a further two million wireless subscribers during this year to increase its customer base to 13 million by the end of 2010. An unnamed company official told Zawya Dow Jones that Zain is expanding its mobile network to the northern Kurdish governorates of Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniya. The official added that Zain will spend around USD900 million in 2010 on new projects and operating expenses. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Zain is Iraq’s largest cellco by subscribers with 10.07 million users at 31 March 2010 (a market share of 48.4%), followed by Asiacell with 7.74 million customers (37.2%), Korek Telecom with 2.49 million (12%) and regional operator SanaTel with 500,000 subscribers (2.4%).