Update, September 2026: Korek is under a shutdown order
This comparison changed in August 2026. Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) cancelled its settlement agreement with Korek Telecom on 2 June 2026, then on9 August 2026 moved to shut the network down and placed liens on the company's movable and immovable assets. Korek's licence itself has not been revoked. Baghdad's Rusafa District Court briefly suspended the regulator's action on 23 August and then cancelled that injunction days later - sources date it to 24 or 26 August - leaving the regulator's action in force. By early September, Korek offices and service centres had been closed across eight federal governorates, including Kirkuk, Nineveh, Saladin, Najaf, Karbala, Babylon and Diwaniyah.
The regulator has told Korek's roughly seven million subscribers not to renew subscriptions, recharge balances or make further payments, to keep their SIM cards pending instructions, and to move bank and app verification codes onto an Asiacell or Zain number. The dispute is financial — licence fees and other debts, reported as $375m from the 2007 licence auction plus about 1.4 trillion dinars claimed in April 2026, all disputed — not a technical fault, and as of 7 September 2026 no shutdown of the network itself had been reported, only office closures. But nothing about Korek's future is settled.
What this means if you are travelling: do not build a trip around a Korek line. Asiacell is the network to rely on in both federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region right now. The comparison below keeps Korek in it, because it is still on air and still matters historically in Erbil and Duhok — but read every Korek row with this in mind.
Quick Verdict (Verified September 2026)
- Fastest network: Asiacell. Opensignal's January 2026 Iraq report measured Asiacell downloads at 38.0 Mbps, ahead of Zain (25.8 Mbps) and Korek (14.6 Mbps).
- Kurdistan Region: Korek historically, Asiacell in practice today. Korek is headquartered in Erbil and has long been the region's operator, but it is under the CMC shutdown order described above. Asiacell — headquartered in Sulaymaniyah — is the strong second everywhere in the region and the safe choice for a trip booked now. See our Korek eSIM guide.
- Strong in Baghdad and the south: Zain Iraq (Zain Group, Kuwait) — solid urban coverage with in-store eSIM (ID registration required). Asiacell also issues eSIM QR codes at its main shops — see our Asiacell eSIM guide.
- All three run 4G LTE — Iraq has no commercial 5G yet. Asiacell opened the country's first 5G lab at Al-Nahrain University in April 2026, and the cabinet approved a state-backed National Mobile Company in March 2025 to run a fourth licence with Vodafone as brand and technical partner — but nothing commercial has launched.
- For visitors: every local SIM and local eSIM requires in-person identity registration, and none of the three operators sells to you before you land. A travel eSIM skips all of it — eSIMfly's Iraq plans are provisioned on Asiacell and Korek together, so the phone falls back to Asiacell wherever Korek is unavailable.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Asiacell | Korek | Zain Iraq | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download speed (Opensignal, Jan 2026) | 38.0 Mbps 🥇 | 14.6 Mbps | 25.8 Mbps |
| Strongest region | Nationwide + Sulaymaniyah & Halabja | Kurdistan Region (Erbil, Duhok, Zakho) | Baghdad & southern Iraq |
| Headquarters / group | Sulaymaniyah — majority-owned by Ooredoo Group (Qatar) | Erbil — private, founded and controlled by Sirwan Barzani | Baghdad — Zain Group (Kuwait) |
| Regulatory status (September 2026) | Licensed and operating | Contract cancelled, assets seized, shutdown in progress | Licensed and operating |
| Network technology | 4G LTE (5G lab only) | 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| MCC-MNC code | 418-05 (also 418-00) | 418-40 | 418-20 and 418-30 |
| Local SIM for visitors | In-store + ID registration | In-store + ID registration | In-store + ID registration |
| eSIM sold online to visitors | No (in-store eSIM exists) | No | No (in-store eSIM exists) |
| On the eSIMfly Iraq / Kurdistan travel eSIM | ✓ Included | ✓ Included | Not included |
One nuance on that last row: it describes the Iraq and Kurdistan country plans, which our own network records show registered on Asiacell (418-05) and Korek (418-40) only. The wider Middle East & North Africa regional plans we also sell reach Iraq through a different pairing — Zain Iraq and Korek — so if it matters which operator you land on, pick the country plan rather than a regional one.
Speed data: Opensignal Iraq Mobile Network Experience Report, January 2026. MCC-MNC codes: our own live network registration records for Iraq, cross-checked against the public ITU region 4xx mobile network code list, which also assigns 418-00 to Asiacell and both 418-20 and 418-30 to Zain Iraq. Regulatory status: Iraq's Communications and Media Commission, August–September 2026.
Which Network Wins Where
Baghdad & Central Iraq
Asiacell or Zain. Both cover the capital well; Asiacell measured faster nationally, Zain has a deep traditional base in the city. Korek is present but weakest here.
Kurdistan Region — Erbil, Duhok, Zakho
Historically Korek; today Asiacell. Erbil is Korek's home turf and its coverage in the northern governorates has long been the region's benchmark — but Korek is under the CMC shutdown order described at the top of this page, so a line bought there now is a gamble. Asiacell is the strong second everywhere in the KRI and the network to plan around.
Sulaymaniyah & Halabja
Asiacell. Headquartered in Sulaymaniyah, Asiacell is the hometown network and the strongest signal across the eastern Kurdistan Region.
Najaf, Karbala & Basra
Asiacell, with Zain close behind. Asiacell measured the fastest downloads nationally in the January 2026 Opensignal report and Zain has a large traditional base across the south. Both hold up in the shrine cities; note that Korek service centres in Najaf, Karbala, Babylon and Diwaniyah were among those closed by the regulator in the shutdown.
Highways & rural areas
Asiacell. It began as a Kurdistan operator in 1999 and won a national licence in 2007, and it is the network with the longest-standing nationwide footprint. Expect 4G on the main highways and 3G or gaps in remote areas on every network — none of the three has commercial 5G.
The Shortcut: You Can Have Asiacell + Korek at Once
This whole comparison has a catch for visitors: you can't easily buy any of these SIMs. Iraqi regulations require in-person identity registration for every local line, none of the three operators sells eSIMs online to people abroad, and the in-store eSIMs Asiacell and Zain do issue still need registration with a civil ID, national card, residence card or passport.
A travel eSIM sidesteps all of it. The eSIMfly Iraq and Kurdistan eSIMs are provisioned on both Asiacell (418-05) and Korek (418-40), switching automatically to whichever signal is stronger — which, with Korek under a shutdown order, in practice means Asiacell carries you almost everywhere and Korek is a bonus while it lasts. No registration, no store visit, active before you land.
$3.16
1GB / 7 days
$12.74
5GB / 30 days
$23.15
10GB / 30 days
Live catalogue prices at the time of this update (8 September 2026); 2GB, 3GB and 20GB plans also exist. Current prices always show on the plan pages below.
Paying from inside Iraq? You can check out in Iraqi dinar with an Iraqi bank card; international cards work too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Asiacell or Korek — which is better?
Asiacell or Zain — which is better in Baghdad?
Which network has the fastest internet in Iraq?
Do Asiacell, Zain, or Korek offer eSIM?
Does Iraq have 5G?
Is Korek being shut down? What happens to my Korek number?
Don't Pick One Network. Get Two.
Asiacell's nationwide speed with Korek as a second registration on the same eSIM — no ID paperwork, active before you land, from $3.16.
Browse Iraq & Kurdistan Plans