Iraq seeks to become regional telecom companies’ hub

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq is aiming to solidify its strategic position to become an attractive hub for regional and international companies, the Minister of Communications, Hayam al-Yasiri, confirmed on Thursday.

In an interview with Sputnik, al-Yasiri pointed out that Iraq’s geographic location connects South, West, and East Asia to the Arabian Gulf by sea, while also linking them to Europe through Turkiye and the Kurdistan Region.

“This land route provides advantages over traditional maritime paths through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, where repairs are slower and more costly.”

Al-Yasiri also indicated that global companies are showing strong interest in using the Iraqi corridor for the speed and efficiency it offers, adding that routing data through Iraq will help improve internet quality and distribute capacity across the country.

According to the Ministry of Communications, internet usage in Iraq rose to 82.9% of the population by the end of 2024, up from 44.3% in 2019, a surge driven by fiber-optic expansion and broader digital infrastructure upgrades under a national transformation strategy.