Order to disrupt telecom networks affects thousands after failed bid to make sector more competitive

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Mobile users in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq on Sunday witnessed disruptions between the different network operators in the country after Iraq’s telecommunications authority ordered companies to suspend interconnection with Korek Telecom for failing to sign a contract.

Iraq’s Communication and Media Commission (CMC) on Wednesday issued an administrative order to all network providers and telecommunication companies in the country to disrupt their connectivity with Korek for five days as the latter failed to sign a service contract provided by Dutch PortingXs.

The service contract that all other network operators, including Asia Cell and Zain, have already signed gives people the freedom to retain their mobile number even if they decide to change network provider.

The order is seen as promoting competition between the companies to provide better quality service to their users.

The CMC’s sanction on Erbil-based Korek came into effect Sunday and will last five days, according to a copy of the document received by Kurdistan 24.

The penalty cuts off intra-connectivity between Korek and all other telecommunication operators, which means subscribers of Korek cannot make, send, or receive calls and text messages to and from other network providers.

On Sunday, Korek issued a statement calling the order and penalty “unjust and unfair,” stating the CMS did not grant them enough time to study the contract and respond.

“The Commission was supposed to wait for the official response by Korek after giving an appropriate time to respond in this regard,” read the statement issued by Korek.

The company also mentioned that any disagreement between the CMC and the private operators should not involve subscribers, who are being affected by the dispute.

“Korek expresses its deep regret over what has happened and apologizes to its subscribers for this unjustified punishment and is prepared to solve this problem as soon as possible… [Korek] hopes that the Iraqi authority will reverse its decision and allow for a reconnection,  to protect the citizens’ best interest.”

Over the past years, people in the autonomous Kurdistan Region and Iraq have repeatedly taken to social media to share their complaints and dissatisfaction regarding the quality of services provided by different telecommunication companies in the country.

Editing by Nadia Riva