/ 24 June 2009

MTN denies report Iran network blocked

MTN said on Wednesday its Iran network was working and denied a report it would lose revenue from the country because of blocked cellphone signals.

MTN said on Wednesday its MTN Iran network was working and denied a report it would lose a month’s revenue from the country because of blocked cellphone signals.

”The MTN network is running in Iran and there is nothing wrong with it,” MTN Group spokesperson Nozipho January-Bardill said.

Local media reported on Wednesday that MTN may lose at least a month’s revenue in Iran, its third-largest market, after the government blocked cellular network signals following a disputed June 12 election.

The Iranian government blocked SMS text messages during polling after opposition candidates used them to galvanise key young voters during a fiercely contested election campaign, and internet and cellphone communications have been severely disrupted since.

Domestic and international media have also been restricted.

MTN Group owns 49% of MTN Irancell, which was launched in late 2006 as Iran’s number two cellular operator. Some investors deemed the expansion risky, given the country’s nuclear stand-off with the West.

MTN, which operates cellphone networks across Africa and the Middle East, has more than 16-million customers in Iran and says the country has major growth potential. — Reuters