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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - All subscribers to Erbil-based Korek Telecom should take "precautionary measures" by registering with other telecommunications companies and seeking alternative carriers for account recovery and verification, Iraq's state-run media regulator said Wednesday, warning of a possible abrupt stoppage of Korek services amid mounting disputes.
The Communication and Media Commission (CMC) issued a circular urging all Korek Telecom SIM card users who rely on their numbers to verify or log into social media and digital services to “take the necessary precautionary measures to ensure continued access to accounts and digital services.”
The CMC called on Korek users to add a number from another “licensed mobile operator in Iraq” to their applications and platforms, to “use for receiving verification codes, authentication messages, and account recovery requests.
The regulator further urged users to set up “alternative authentication and recovery methods,” including “email addresses, authenticator apps, or other available options - to reduce reliance on SMS messages for account access.”
"Do not wait until the reception of text messages stops," the CMC said, urging users to “complete these steps as soon as possible” to avoid being locked out of their accounts.
The CMC and Korek have been locked in a years-long legal battle that escalated in June, when the regulator announced the expiration of Korek's operating contract and cancelled a 2025 settlement over alleged breaches of contractual obligations and failure to meet legal and financial commitments. The Commission added that it would pursue legal proceedings to fully halt the company's operations.
Korek subscriber disruptions began in late 2023 when the CMC launched enforcement actions over unpaid financial obligations. Since then, the regulator has cut Korek's internet services outside the Kurdistan Region and blocked interconnected calls with competing networks across Iraq.
Iraqi lawmaker Zahra al-Bajari, who was then chairing the Iraqi parliament's transport and communications committee, said in January 2025 that Korek owed the CMC around two trillion Iraqi dinars - over $1.5 billion - in licensing fees and other outstanding debts.
Korek, however, has disputed the matter. Following the CMC's June decision, the company said it would appeal to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to intervene, arguing the regulator “does not have the authority to cancel the settlement, which was approved by higher authorities and was not the result of a decision by the Commission itself."
The Erbil-based company also accused the CMC of taking “successive arbitrary measures motivated by the political movement to which the Commission's management is an affiliate of.”
