The BBC reports that the Bahraini communications company Batalco, and US-based VoEx, have set up in Iraq and started offering liimited cell phone service, even before the occupation government has issued licenses. “The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) said a week ago that it has asked companies to express interest in licences by 28 July, and hopes to get the bidding process underway within weeks.”
Why have a bidding process when companies are ready to do business now? A hint comes in this paragraph: “Darrell Issa—a US congressman from California—has in the past called for the CPA to mandate the use of the CDMAOne standard developed by Qualcomm, a California company from which he has received campaign contributions.”
