Zain Iraq, a subsidiary of Mobile Telecommunications Company, launched its 3G services on 31 December 2014, Telegeography reported.

Meanwhile, Asiacell announced its own 3G launch a day later, after having incurred a reported $1 billion on network modernisation and license fees. Both operators are marketing their 3G services as “3.9G”, otherwise known as “pre-4G”.

Each operator was requested to pay USD307 million for the 3G license, according to earlier media reports.

Zain Iraq made its first payment, representing 25% of the total amount, during 3Q2014. Until now, it is estimated that only 4% of Zain Iraq revenues were data-related due to unavailability of mobile broadband, with the company hoping to improve its financial metrics as new data opportunities are unlocked following the launch.

Notably, Iraq contributed 38% to Zain Group’s consolidated revenue during 9M2014.