Asiacell

Asiacell is an Iraqi telecommunications company that primarily provides mobile phone services and mobile internet. Founded in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region in 1999, Asiacell was the first mobile telecommunications company in Iraq and began its commercial operations in 2000. In 2003, the company was awarded a two-year GSM license for the six northern provinces of Iraq, which was later extended in 2005 to cover the entire Iraqi Republic, making it the only telecom network to provide nationwide coverage. Asiacell's growth led to the establishment of executive offices in major cities such as Baghdad and Mosul. In 2007, Asiacell secured a 15-year national license, solidifying its position as the GSM telecom operator with the largest long-term network coverage in the country. As of 2013, the company had more than 9.1 million subscribers. On February 2, 2013, Asiacell went public, offering 25% of its equity in what was considered the largest IPO in the MEANA region since 2008. Asiacell continued to expand its services, offering free access to Wikipedia for its customers in 2017.