Iran`s government has formally awarded the second Iranian GSM licence to IranCell, of which MTN is a 49% shareholder.
MTN, which says it will not offer further comment, issued a statement this afternoon saying the licence - the first fully private mobile licence to be issued by the government - had now been officially awarded.
"We are pleased to have been invited to take up the 49% stake in IranCell," MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko is quoted as saying. "We now have nine months to commercial launch and intend to embrace this opportunity."
The group says it and its local partners will now begin with the extensive network roll-out in compliance with the licence conditions.
The awarding of the licence comes after the payment of the up-front licence fee of 300 million euros on 21 November.
The licence is renewable after 15 years.
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