WASHINGTON-Motorola Inc. is getting a slice of the $34 million contract held by WorldCom Inc. to provide mobile phone service to U.S. civilian and military officials in Baghdad, even as pressure builds to have the Bush administration dismiss the embattled long-distance giant as a government contractor because of the firm’s accounting miscues.
Natasha Haubold, a WorldCom spokeswoman, confirmed Motorola was selected as a subcontractor. While Haubold did not provide details, it is expected Motorola will join Sweden’s L. M. Ericsson and possibly other vendors in providing phones for a GSM cell phone network capable of supporting 10,000 subscribers.
Ericsson is believed to have been chosen to install wireless infrastructure for the Baghdad mobile-phone system. Motorola recently was awarded a $15.8 million contract to build a police radio system in Baghdad.
The WorldCom-Motorola deal comes amid indications the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S.-led group temporarily in charge of Iraq, will solicit bids next week for a short-term license to build a nationwide mobile phone network covering the country.
Earlier this week, the GSM Association reported that Kuwait-based wireless operator MTC-Vodafone deployed a GSM-based network in southern Iraq designed to support the reconstruction efforts and non-governmental organizations delivering humanitarian aid.
The network reportedly is currently providing coverage along supply routes in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, which is under the control of the British military.
MTC-Vodafone, which was founded in 1983 and is the largest mobile operator in Kuwait serving nearly 700,000 subscribers, said it was granted authority May 26 by the Joint Communications Authority Board of Iraq and the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom to install and operate a GSM network. The carrier noted it has delivered a number of handsets and subscriber identity module cards to the British military in Basra.
U.S.-based MCI was authorized last month to install a GSM network around the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
MTC-Vodafone won a GSM license in Bahrain in April. Kuwait’s MTC partnered with Vodafone Group plc under the U.K. operator’s Partner Network Agreement program, which involves dual branding and international roaming cooperation, last year.
