Asiacell targets 6.3m customers

Iraq’s second largest mobile operator says it is on course to double its subscriber base within one year.

In February, Asiacell had 3.6 million subscribers, and company CEO Dr Diar Ahmad said the number of customers signed up to the network had so far reached six million.

“By the end of the year we expect to have 6.3 million subscribers,” he said.

“We have had 90% growth on customer numbers. It is a very aggressive growth – more than we planned for,” he added.

Zain Iraq, formerly MTC Atheer and Iraqna, is the largest operator in the country with a 70% market share, thanks to its 7.9 million subscribers, according to figures released by the company in June this year. Ahmad said that despite Zain Iraq’s dominant share of the market, Asiacell is in a strong position to add more customers.

“In terms of coverage, Asiacell is only company that covers entire Iraqi soil. Zain has no presence in the north of Iraq,” he said.

Ahmad attributed Asiacell’s growth to a “heavy and aggressive marketing campaign”, “visible aggressiveness on rolling out the network” and interest in Asiacell’s loyalty programme.