Cellular roaming services mysteriously became available in Baghdad today — mobile phone service was banned for civilians under Saddam Hussein's reign.
Yet officially, a tender for three mobile phone licenses the U.S.-led administration plans to offer across Iraq has yet to take place. A U.S. military spokesman could not immediately say why the lines turned on or what that meant for the tender. Callers with foreign-registered GSM phones were able to make and receive calls and send text messages to countries as far away as the United States and South Africa. Few Iraqis have suitable phones for now. Foreigners working in Baghdad have widely relied on pricey satellite telephones to stay in touch.
"MTC-Vodafone wishes you a pleasant stay in Kuwait," a text message sent to roamers in Baghdad said. Other cellphone users reported they had service on a Bahraini network, Batelco, which said it planned to offer services and was testing its network.