Zain Bahrain has moved a step closer to launching a long-awaited initial public offer of its shares after the telecommunications operator announced its intention to become a public company in a government newsletter.

Under the terms of its licence, Zain Bahrain, a leading mobile operator in the kingdom, which is 56.3 per cent owned by Kuwait's Zain - must sell 15 per cent of its shares in an IPO and list on the Bahrain bourse.

Zain Bahrain missed a 2013 deadline to do so, but a source last week told Reuters that the company planned to launch its share sale by the end of June in what could be the island's first IPO since 2010.

The company's announcement in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce's gazette, published on Thursday, said the ministry had received Zain Bahrain's request to become a public company and that any objections should be submitted within 60 days.

The investment banking arms of National Bank of Kuwait and Bahrain's Gulf International Bank are advising on the IPO. - Reuters