Korek Telecom rejects Iraqi media authority's decisions
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Korek Telecom pushed back on Monday against measures announced by Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) against the company and its subscribers, accusing the CMC of “acting arbitrarily."
Six decisions were issued Sunday by Iraq's Communications and Media Commission, canceling the settlement agreement with Korek Telecom over the company's “breach of its contractual obligations and failure to meet its legal and financial commitments,” following the expiration of its contract with the company.
In a statement, the company argued that the head of the commission's executive body lacks the authority to cancel the settlement contract reached between the two sides.
Korek said it had hoped the “arbitrary measures” would stop following the formation of a committee under a cabinet order in May 2025. That committee, it noted, reached recommendations approved by the previous prime minister, followed by a decision from the CMC's board of commissioners in September 2025 to implement the recommendations and sign a settlement contract between the two parties.
Entry into force of the settlement contract was conditioned on notifying the company that it would be granted a license to operate 4G mobile services, on par with the two other companies licensed by the commission, Korek added. An "administrative obstacle," however, prevented completion of the licensing procedures, delaying implementation of the settlement.
“Correspondence between relevant government authorities continued until June 2, 2026, in an effort to remove that obstacle,” Korek clarified, accusing the CMC of refusing to implement proposed solutions before issuing a decision on that date to cancel the settlement contract.
The telecom company stressed that higher authorities, “not the commission itself, approved the original agreement,” reiterating that the CMC's executive chief has no power to unilaterally cancel it. It warned, “the unjustified, unprofessional, and biased measure could harm Iraq's reputation among foreign investors.”
Established rights under final judicial rulings, involving compensation worth hundreds of millions of dollars against the CMC, remain in the company's favor, Korek noted, adding that it had postponed enforcing those rulings out of respect for government authorities seeking to resolve the matter fairly.
