Communications in Iran
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{{portal|Iran|Flag of Iran.svg|48}}
Iran’s telecommunications industry is almost entirely state-owned, dominated by the [[Telecommunication Company of Iran]] (TCI). The previous government, headed by the reformist president, Mohammed Khatami, took steps to liberalise the industry in order to expand and improve the services offered, most notably by awarding a contract to Turkcell (a Turkish company) in early 2004 to build and run a new mobile-phone network. However, the project has run into difficulties that threaten to delay the rollout of new capacity. Fixed-line penetration in 2004 was relatively well-developed by regional standards, standing at 22 lines per 100 people, higher than Egypt with 14 and Saudi Arabia with 15, although behind the UAE with 27. In terms of mobile provision in 2004, however, Iran lagged all the countries mentioned above.
According to the Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC), the [[information and communications technology]] (ICT) sector had a 1.1-1.3% share of GDP in 2002. About 150,000 people are employed in the ICT sector, including around 20,000 in the software industry. There were 1,200 registered information technology (IT) companies in 2002, 200 of which were involved in software development.
==Overview==
The government runs the [[broadcast media]], which includes three national [[radio]] stations and two national [[television]] networks, as well as dozens of local radio and television stations. In [[2000]] there were 252 radios, 158 television sets, 219 [[telephone]] lines, and 110 personal computers for every 1,000 residents. [[Computers]] for home use became more affordable in the mid-1990s, and since then demand for access to the Internet has increased rapidly. In 1998, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (renamed the Ministry of Information & Communication Technology) began selling [[Internet]] accounts to the general public. In [[2006]], the Iranian telecom industry's revenues were estimated at $1.2 billion. <ref>[http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2681/html/focus.htm Iran Daily - Economic Focus - 10/09/06<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==[[Telephone]]==
Inadequate but currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected
====Domestic====
As a result of heavy investing in the telephone system since [[1994]], thousands of mobile cellular subscribers are being served; moreover, the technical level of the system has been raised by the installation of thousands of digital switches.
====International====
[[High frequency|HF]] radio and microwave radio relay to [[Turkey]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Syria]], [[Kuwait]], [[Tajikistan]], and [[Uzbekistan]]; submarine [[fiber-optic]] cable to [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] with access to [[Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe]] (FLAG); [[Trans Asia Europe]] (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; satellite earth stations - 9 [[Intelsat]] and 4 [[Inmarsat]]; full [[Internet]] service is available in all major cities and it is very rapidly increasing. Many small towns and even some villages now have full Internet access.
====Statistics====
*Landlines: 22 million (2006)
*Mobile: 19 million (early 2007)<ref>[http://www.iran-daily.com/1386/2809/html/focus.htm Iran Daily - Economic Focus - 04/05/07<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> from 4.3 million in [[2004]]
==[[Radio]]==
*Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)
*Number of Radios: 22 million (2005)</p>
==[[Television]]==
{{seealso|List of Persian language television channels}}
*Television broadcast stations: 28 (plus 450 low-power repeaters) (1997)
*Number of Televisions: 15 million (2007 est.)
==[[Internet]]==
The internet is being used in Iran more and more. The Internet has become an expanding means to accessing information and self-expression among the younger population. Iran is also the world's fourth largest country of [[Iranian blogs|bloggers]]<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_blogs</ref> although [[Internet censorship in Iran]] is amongst the most restrictive and sophisticated in the world<ref>[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7589 Iranian net censorship powered by US technology - info-tech - 27 June 2005 - New Scientist<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
*Internet Service Providers (ISPs): numerous - 12 certified (2002)
*[[Country codes|Country code]] (Top-level domain): IR
*Internet users: 18 million (2006)
===Broadband Internet access===
[[ADSL]] in [[Iran]] appeared in January 2004.
* [http://www.pte.ir/ Pishgaman Towseh Ertebatat (Pioneers of Telecomm Expansions)] is the only Access provider Company that provides All xDSL Family types in Iran and have one of the largest access networks in Iran. the headquarters office is in Yazd and this company is a member of [http://www.Pishgamangroup.com/ Pishgaman Group]
* [[Pars Online]] is the largest private ISP in Iran and is based in Tehran, but provides a range of services around the country, including voice, satellite and broadband.
* [http://www.Sepanta.net/ Sepanta Network Solutions] is a retailer in Tehran.
* [[Datak Group of Companies|DATAK]] is the first broadband ISP in Iran which offers ADSL2+ and ADSL services for residential and business users in [[Tehran]] and other major cities.
* [http://www.ctel.ir/ CTEL Kish] is the first broadband ISP in Khorasan which offers ADSL2+ and ADSL services for residential and business users in [[Mashhad]] and other major cities.
* [http://www.laser-telecom.com/ Laser] Company, offers [[WiMax]] wireless internet access over some major cities
==[[Privatization]]==
{{Main|Privatization in Iran}}
Based on Note C of the general policies of the constitution's Article 44, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced that it will float the shares of affiliated companies such as [http://mtc.20un.com/index.html Mobile Telecommunications Company] in the stock market.<ref>[http://www.iran-daily.com/1385/2681/html/focus.htm Iran-Daily: Privatization of Telecom Companies]</ref>
Under the general policies of Article 44, telecom companies are categorized in four groups as follows:
*'''Group One''': Among the 30 provincial telecom networks, the [[fixed telecom]] networks pertain to those of Tehran, Isfahan, Fars, Hamedan, Ahvaz, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan and East Azarbaijan. The first group concerns fixed line telecom networks, including those in the public sector with 30 subsidiary telecom networks in provinces. The non-governmental sector includes companies such as Iraphone, Novin, Zahi Kish, Kouh-e Nour, Montazeran Adlgostar and Pouya Ertebat with each having hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
*'''Group Two''': The second group concerns [[mobile telephone]] networks. In the public sector, they include the [[Telecommunication Company of Iran]] (TCI). In the non-governmental sector, they include telecommunications companies such as Omran Kish, Arse Telecom, Isfahan, Rafsanjan Complex and [[MTN Irancell|Irancell]]. [[Privatization of the Iranian economy|Privatization Organization]] has forecast that shares of Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) will be floated in the stock market by late September 2007.<ref>[http://www.iran-daily.com/1386/2859/html/economy.htm#s232485 Iran Daily - Domestic Economy - 06/03/07<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*'''Group Three''': There is only one public network in the [[data network]] sector, namely Data and Telecommunications Company of Iran which is considered a basic telecom network in terms of mobile networks and Shomal IT Company. In the non-governmental sector, there are over 100 companies with a shared data network.
*'''Group Four''': The subsidiary telecom network named Subsidiary Telecommunications Company is another basic telecom network. They are completely owned by the state and not targeted for privatization.
==Press==
{{seealso|Media of Iran}}
The press in Iran is privately owned and reflects a diversity of political and social views. A special court has authority to monitor the print media and may suspend publication or revoke the licenses of papers or journals that a jury finds guilty of publishing antireligious material, slander, or information detrimental to the national interest. Since the late 1990s the court has shut down many pro-reform newspapers and other periodicals. Most Iranian newspapers are published in Persian, but newspapers in English and other languages also exist. The most widely circulated periodicals are based in Tehrān. Popular daily and weekly newspapers include ''[[Ettelaat]]'', ''[[Kayhan]]'', ''Resalat'', ''Iran Daily'' and the ''[[Tehran Times]]'' (both are English-language papers).
==See also==
* [[Takfa]] (Iran's countrywide plan for ICT)
* [[Telecommunication Company of Iran]]
* [[Iran Electronics Industries (IEI)]]
* [[Shetab Banking System]]
* [[List of Major Iranian Companies]]
* [[Transportation in Iran]]
* [[Media of Iran]]
* [[Economy of Iran]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.mob.ir/ Iran Mobile Network] - Iran Mobile Phone Information Network
* [http://www.dci.ir/english/index.asp Information Technology Company] - affiliated with the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology (ICT) of Iran
* [http://www.irantour.org/Iran/calling_iran.html Telephone Area Codes of Cities In Iran]
* [http://www.science-arts.org/internet/ Internet and Telecom in Iran - A Comprehensive Survey (1999)]
* [http://www.atiehbahar.com/Resources/Telecommunication.htm Brief Study - Telecom in Iran]
* [http://www.gsmworld.com/cgi-bin/ni_map.pl?cc=ir&net=tc GSM Coverage in Iran]
* [http://www.ebusinessforum.com/index.asp?layout=newdebi&country_id=IR e-Business in Iran]
* [http://www.american.edu/initeb/sk4484a/iran.htm Information Technology in Iran] (1997)
* [http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/irn_ict.pdf World Bank - Information, Communication Telecommunication (ICT) in Iran]
* [http://www.internettrafficreport.com/history/267.htm Internet Traffic Report] - Iran Router
{{Asia topic|Communications in}}
[[Category:Communications by country|Iran]]
[[Category:Communications in Iran|*]]
[[Category:Economy of Iran]]
[[Category:Internet service providers of Iran]]
[[Category:Iranian media]]
[[fr:Communication en Iran]]
[[tr:İran'da iletişim]]