Communications in Iran
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.
Tech-savvy citizens use text messages to communicate with friends and browse the Internet — which the government controls in terms of access and speed — for a multiplicity of purposes.
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 anti-religious material, slander, or information detrimental to the national interest.
The two national operators, Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran and MTN Irancell both offer GPRS-based data services.
Assuming a minimum network investment of $4 billion, Etisalat can gain about 20 percent to 25% market share over five years of its operations (by 2013).
[38] Later, Tamin Telecom announced that, IDRO and Imam Khomeini Decree Center have replaced Etisalat because of contractual disagreements.
[41] As of 2010, international connection services are provided exclusively by Infrastructure Company of Iran, a fully owned subsidiary of TCI.
[42] Submarine fiber-optic cable to 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; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations – 13 (9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2007)[43] Apart from Iran-Kuwait submarine communications cable network, Iran is launching an optical fiber channel and a submarine communications cable in the Persian Gulf.
[citation needed] Since 2005 the Iranian government has been developing its "National Information Network" to tighten its control over content as well as increasing speed.
In order to protect the privacy of Iranian internet users, a number of non-governmental organizations are currently developing domestic search engines that people can use through the NIN.
[57] This was illustrated during the widespread deliberate disruptions to both mobile and networked Internet connections in the midst of nationwide protests in late 2017 and into early 2018.
Research by the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) identified that the authorities had ordered IXPs to intentionally interrupt international traffic while maintaining national connections hosted on the NIN.
Pushing users to use these services strengthens the government's surveillance and monitoring capabilities and raises concerns for the protection of the right to privacy.
[60] Iran has developed (or is in the process of developing) IT/technology parks, infrastructures for local emails, instant messaging (such as "TD Messenger" produced by Tehran Data), domestic search engines (such as Yooz, Parsijoo or "Gorgor.ir"), auction website (e.g. "Esam.ir"), e-commerce (e.g. Digikala), e-government, distance education (e.g. Payame Noor University), social medias (e.g. Cloob or Aparat), a domestic version of the Linux operating system called "Sharif Linux", bespoke or open source software for web browsing, word processing, spreadsheet and database; accounting and various business/financial and industrial software (e.g. NOSA), security software (e.g. Padvish Antivirus or APA at Shiraz University), and video games.
[74][75][76] The leading Data Communication Company of Iran (DCI) which belongs to TCI (now privatized) and the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) are two bodies that act as ISPs.
[81] As of 2012, 11 private access providers (PAPs) and TCI compete for market share, offering ADSL2+, WiMAX, and other fixed wireless broadband services.
This network covers 210 Iranian cities and has 60,000 high-speed ports to meet the needs of its end users such as business and ISPs (2009).
[citation needed] Iran is presently implementing a barcode system across the country in order to facilitate e-commerce and tax collection.
According to the EJISDC, around 95% of the output of the domestic industry is bespoke development (including translation/adaptation from foreign source) —as opposed to product work—meaning export possibilities are low.
Poor intellectual property protection in Iran has also hindered the development of Iranian software companies causing a lack of foreign direct investment in this sector.
[110] As of 2019, main categories are tools with 12,024 apps published in this group, followed by health and sports (4,368), travel and transportation (2,578), social media (2,227) and shopping (2,072).
The most popular Android apps as measured by Cafe Bazaar downloads are:[111] Financial services: Shopping: Transportation: Social Media Platforms, Messengers: Iran is an innovative country with a population of approximately 80 million and 120% mobile penetration.
[121] Cafe Bazaar, with 20 million visits weekly and a market share of 85%, has 25,000 downloadable Iranian and international apps for gaming, social media, messaging and other uses.
[124] Aparat (Owned by Saba Idea Technology Co), with a staff of 65, is an Iranian video-sharing platform similar to YouTube, has a following of 5 millions a day and has 22,000 minutes of video uploaded daily.
[87] With 40,000 orders per month, Maman-Paz is a food delivery service that connects hungry workers with housewives selling home-cooked meals.
[116] The Middle East consumer electronics and technology sector amounts to a $37 billion high (2008), according to a study by the Dubai-based subsidiary of GfK-MEMRB Marketing Services.
The study also reveals the market structure by channel where, in Iran and the UAE, independent retailers still lead with 60-percent share in volume for product categories such as digital cameras, LCD televisions and mobile phones.
[136] Iran’s domestic consumer electronic market, defined as including computing devices, mobile handsets and video audio and gaming products, was estimated at $7.3 billion in 2008 ($8.2 billion in 2010), with 47% market share for computer hardware, 28% Audio/Video and 25% mobile phone (with growing demand for PDAs, smartphones and 3G handsets).
Motherboard, keyboard, mouse, computer case, power supply, CPU, hard drive and printers are other components that are now manufactured locally.
[2] Other manufacturers include Iran Communications Industries Incorporated and Parstel—which produces under licence from Daewoo Corporation, a South Korean firm.
