State media: Syria awards license to 3rd cellular operator

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian state media is reporting the government has awarded a telecommunications company a license to become the third cellular operator in the war-torn nation. The telecommunications minister told reporters Monday that the third operator, Wafa Telecom, will improve the telecommunications sector in the country that was hard-hit by nearly 11 years of civil war. The minister said areas with poor coverage will be a target for the third operator. That indicates that Wafa Telecom was granted several advantages, including allowing it to offer customers a discount rate of up to 50% until the number of its subscribers reaches 3 million.