Zain Secures $747 Million License to Operate Syria's New Mobile Network

The Syrian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced on Tuesday the granting of a license to operate the country's new mobile telecommunications network to the Zain Group, marking the entry of a new operator to replace the current provider, MTN.

This decision followed a series of negotiations and a bidding process in which Zain submitted an offer valued at $747 million.

License Terms and Ownership Structure

According to an official statement from Zain Group, the license grants the planned operational entity a concession for 25 years, consisting of an initial 20-year period plus a 5-year extension.

The ownership structure allocates 75% of the operator to Zain Group, while a governmental entity retains the remaining 25% stake.

Transition and Subscriber Base

The timeline published in Zain's announcement outlines a six-month transitional phase during which operational assets will be gradually transferred from the current operator, MTN, to the new management.

Syrian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdul Salam Haykal, confirmed during the announcement that existing subscribers will continue to receive uninterrupted services without any impact.

The group’s statement indicated that the current subscriber base numbers approximately 6.3 million users.

Infrastructure and Service Quality

Minister Haykal emphasized that the technical specifications and requirements focus on high coverage quality, stating, "The specifications are high to reflect on coverage quality and network performance in terms of response speed."

He linked the success of the new operator to coordination with infrastructure projects, noting, "Zain cannot succeed in its mission without the completion of the Silk Link project, and we have begun establishing the backbone network in Syria."

Financial Impact and Employment

Regarding the expected financial returns and their effect on the local infrastructure, Khaled Al-Homsi, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, stated that the investment will contribute funds to the national treasury and create new job opportunities.

On the new operator's employment policy and local workforce ratio, Zain Group CEO Badr Nasser Al-Kharafi said, "The majority of the company will consist of Syrian talents," adding that additional expertise will be brought to Syria temporarily to transfer knowledge to Syrian professionals.

Al-Kharafi met with President Al-Shar in Damascus, where he reaffirmed the group's commitment to building a genuine partnership supporting digital transformation and national capacity building, according to the company's statement.