Iraq's Ministry of Communications is partnering with Nokia to establish state-owned data centers in Baghdad, the country's capital city.

The partners will develop two data centers, as per IraqiNews. One will be located at the Al Intisar site, the other at the Al Rasheed exchange in Baghdad's Al Senak district.

According to IraqiNews, these will be the first government-owned data centers in Baghdad. They will ensure data is stored within Iraq, and will serve both the government and private sectors.

Iraq's Communications Minister Hiyam Al Yasiri said that the project is a key part of Iraq's digital transformation, along with fiber optic expansion and getting faster Internet in the country.

"For the first time, Iraq will have government data centers that store information within the country and under Iraqi management," Al-Yasiri told the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

"These centers will ensure that the data of Iraqis and companies benefiting from the service remain secure inside Iraq."

Rocky Lozano, Nokia’s director for the Middle East and Africa, added that the agreement is "one of the foundations of the digital transformation Iraq is witnessing," and that the centers will support digitalization, governance, and e-government services.

"Nokia will build databases and data centers using the latest global technology," Lozano said. "This project is among the most important we are implementing in Iraq, and we are pleased to be part of the country’s urban development journey."

The two have yet to share details about the data centers, including size, capacity, and timelines for construction. The agreement was signed in September 2025.

Also last month, the Ministry of Communication announced that two new subsea cables would land in the country. Details are sparse surrounding this announcement as well, though one cable was said to be landing in Al-Faw, a coastal port on the Persian Gulf.

Nokia has previously helped Iraq's Ministry of Planning establish a data center to help support the national census.

The only listed data center in Iraq on DataCenterMap is located in Erbil and operated by Linkdata. Ooredoo is known to also operate at least one facility in the country.

Iraq is one of a handful of countries that implement annual Internet shutdowns during the country's examination period.