Syria has launched an international bidding process for a new 20-year mobile network operator licence to replace MTN Syria, formally closing the door on the South African telecoms giant’s troubled presence in the country and opening one of the most significant telecommunications investment opportunities in the post-conflict Middle East.
Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal unveiled the initiative at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, describing it as a milestone in Syria’s telecommunications reform programme. The licensing process, which runs until June 15, consists of a qualification phase and a financial selection phase, with a deadline for proposal submissions of April 2. Existing Syrian mobile operators are excluded from applying, meaning the licence is open exclusively to new international entrants.
The winning operator will acquire a 75% stake in the local business under the 20-year licence, while Syria’s sovereign fund will retain the remaining 25%. Neither Syria nor MTN has clarified whether MTN will receive any financial compensation for its existing 75% stake in the operation.
MTN Chief Executive Ralph Mupita met Minister Haykal on the sidelines of the Barcelona conference, where both sides announced they had reached a final amicable settlement organising the group’s exit from the Syrian market. MTN Syria will continue to operate and serve its subscribers in full until the transition to a new operator is complete, ensuring uninterrupted service continuity.
The resolution ends years of legal and regulatory deadlock. MTN first announced plans to exit the Middle East in August 2020 as part of a strategy to focus on its African operations, but its Syrian exit became protracted after a Damascus court placed MTN Syria under judicial guardianship over alleged breaches of licence obligations that the state claimed deprived it of revenue. MTN denied those accusations. The group ultimately booked a 4.7 billion rand loss, equivalent to approximately USD 287 million, on the deconsolidation of the subsidiary.
MTN has since completed its exit from Yemen and Afghanistan. Its only remaining Middle Eastern operation is a 49% stake in MTN Irancell in Iran, a divestment the company is pursuing but which has been complicated by United States sanctions.
Syria’s tender is closely tied to the SilkLink regional fibre initiative supported by Saudi Telecom Company, aimed at expanding international transmission capacity and establishing Syria as a regional digital corridor. The ministry outlined a phased plan to shut down second and third-generation networks and reallocate spectrum to 4G and 5G services.
The removal of international sanctions has opened the door to foreign finance and investment, and the ministry has timed the process to capitalise on growing investor interest in Syria’s broader reconstruction. With a young population and significant pent-up demand for digital services, the new licensee enters a high-growth environment with substantial long-term potential.
