Baghdad — Iraq has suspended its national 5G mobile network project following a dispute between the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of Communications over implementation and exclusivity rights.
Iraqi lawmaker Mohammed Jassim al-Khafaji said the disagreement centres on how the project will be executed and the level of exclusivity to be granted to the national company designated to operate the 5G network. The dispute has led to the suspension of the national mobile licence.
The development comes after the Ministry of Communications signed a €6 million agreement with Vodafone prior to the project’s halt. In March 2025, the Iraqi cabinet authorised the establishment of a national mobile company to roll out a 5G network in partnership with Vodafone.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the new entity is to be formed with contributions from the Trade Bank of Iraq, Iraq’s National Board of Pensions, and the Ministry of Communications. The initiative was designed to modernise Iraq’s telecommunications infrastructure and enable local investment in the country’s digital future.
In November 2024, the Iraqi cabinet approved Vodafone as the operator of the country’s new 5G network. The project was positioned as a major step toward joining the growing group of nations deploying next-generation connectivity, offering ultra-high speeds and significantly lower latency.
The current suspension reflects internal regulatory and institutional tensions over governance and control of the network, temporarily stalling what was framed as a landmark transformation for Iraq’s telecom sector.
