Editing Telecommunications in Iraq (section)

==Telephones==
{{See also |Telephone numbers in Iraq}}

* [[Calling code]]: +964<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of international call prefixes|International call prefix]]: 00<ref>[http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/opb/sp/T-SP-E.164C-2011-PDF-E.pdf ''Dialing Procedures (International Prefix, National (Trunk) Prefix and National (Significant) Number) (in Accordance with ITY-T Recommendation E.164 (11/2010))''], Annex to ITU Operational Bulletin No. 994-15.XII.2011, International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Geneva), 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.</ref>
* Main lines:
** 1.9 million main lines in use, 62nd in the world (2012);<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> 
** 833,000 lines in use (2005).
* Mobile cellular:
** 38.22 million (2019)<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|last=DataReportal|date=3 February 2019|title=Digital 2019 Iraq (January 2019) v01|url=https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2019-iraq-january-2019-v01}}</ref>
**26.8 million lines, 40th in the world (2012);<ref name="CIAWFB-Iraq-2014" />
**&nbsp;9.0 million lines (2005).
* Telephone system: [[Iraq War of 2003]] severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 continue; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications through fiber optic links are in progress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly to some 27 million subscribers at the end of 2012; since 2007 three [[GSM]] operators since have expanded beyond their regional roots and offer near country-wide access to [[2G|second-generation services]]; [[3G|third-generation]] mobile services are not available nationwide; [[wireless local loop]] is available in some metropolitan areas and additional licenses have been issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructure; local [[microwave radio relay]] connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; international terrestrial fiber-optic connections have been established with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iran (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>
* [[List of international submarine communications cables|Communications cables]]: links to the [[Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe]] (FLAG) / [[FALCON (cable system)|FALCON]],  and the [[Gulf Bridge International]] (GBI),<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/> and TGN-Gulf<ref>[http://www.cablemap.info/ "Greg's Cable Map"], Greg Mahlknecht, 19 December 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref> international submarine fiber-optic cables have been established (2011).
* [[Communications satellite|Satellite earth stations]]: 2 [[Intelsat]] ([[Atlantic Ocean]]) and 1 [[Indian Ocean]], 1 [[Intersputnik]] ([[Atlantic Ocean]] region), and 1 [[Arabsat]] (inoperative) (2011).<ref name=CIAWFB-Iraq-2014/>

The [[Iraq War of 2003|2003 Iraq War]] severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq, including international connections. The [[Iraq Reconstruction Management Office]] (IRMO) under the [[U.S. State Department]] assisted the [[Ministry of Communications (Iraq)|Iraqi Ministry of Communications]] by advising on the repair of switching capability and helping to devise the regulatory framework and licensing regimes for construction of mobile and satellite communications facilities. Many people and companies were involved in the reconstruction including private and public telecommunications companies from the [[United States]], [[China]], [[Turkey]], and the [[Middle East]]. Special recognition must be given to the government of [[Japan]] and the [[World Bank Group]] for funding the first national microwave networks. Most credit goes to the staff of the Ministry of Communications and their operating personnel, and the numerous large and small service providers, who persevere under difficult working conditions. [[USAID]] funded several IT training programs with excellent international specialists as trainers and teachers.{{citation needed |date=February 2014}}

Today the system has undergone a remarkable transformation with high rates of annual investment and a functioning regulatory system, that is not quite independent of the political process, but still provides the framework for a competitive telecommunications regime. In 2013-2014 the system is under stress from renewed fighting between different political factions in Iraq.