Iraq is an Asian country. While LIRNEasia is unable at this time to work in Iraq, our hearts are with the people of Iraq as they use ICTs to cope with the crazy murderousness of their world.
A excerpt from today’s New York Times story:
“Your call cannot be completed,” it says, “because the subscriber has been bombed or kidnapped.”
Cellphones have long been considered status symbols in developing countries, Iraq included. But in an environment where hanging out is potentially life threatening, cellphones are also a window into dreams and terrors, the macabre local sense of humor and Iraqis’ resilience amid the swells of violence.
The business here is booming. According to figures published last month by the State Department, there are now 7.1 million cellphone subscribers in Iraq, up from 1.4 million two years ago. In an economy where jobs can be as scarce as rain, billboards for phones are among the only advertisements updated regularly in the capital.
2 Comments
samarajiva
Comment from Bill Melody
Interesting commentary on communication demand under difficult circumstances. Tough way to promote ICT development, but it may have implications for other ccircumstances. Interesting Q is whether it is more likely to help the bad or the good guys more and promote war or peace. Bill
Abu Saeed Khan
People makes phone calls to convey either good news or bad news. The Iraqi people use mobile phones to share bad news and anxieties. It generates traffic and traffic generates revenue. Let’s take look at the financial results of Orascom Group and a closer look at Iraqna. http://www.orascomtelecom.com/investorrelations/EarningRelease.aspx
Rebuilding telecom infrastructure after disaster: Resilience or building back better?
In an article published on 31 December 2025 in the Daily FT, LIRNEasia Chair Professor Rohan Samarajiva highlights how the Ditwah disaster exposed major vulnerabilities in telecom networks. He emphasizes that numerous telecom sites across the country were affected, leaving many districts without mobile or data services for days, which restricted access and delayed restoration efforts.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance is a concern Sri Lanka must address now
LIRNEasia Data, Algorithms, and Policy (DAP) Team Lead and Research Manager Merl Chandana was featured in ‘The Morning’ newspaper on 28 December 2025, in an article by Nelie Munasinghe, where he underscored the urgency of moving from AI policy discussions to real-world implementation. “The perception that Sri Lanka has not yet widely adopted AI is inaccurate.
Gayani Hurulle at UNESCAP workshop on Cross-Border Data Sharing for Digital Public Service Innovation
Gayani Hurulle (Senior Research Manager, LIRNEasia) was invited to conduct a session on the current state and challenges associated with cross-border data sharing at a regional capacity-building workshop on ‘Cross-Border Data Sharing for Digital Public Service Innovation’. This workshop, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea, was held on 18 December 2025 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific