Communications

telecommunication
Iran is among the first five countries which have had a growth rate of over 20% and the highest level of development in telecommunication.[1][2] Iran has been awarded the UNESCO special certificate for providing telecom services to rural areas.[3]

Iran’s telecommunications industry is almost entirely state-owned, dominated by the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI). 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.[2]

Iran has a population of 70 million with some 56% of Iranians under the age of 25.[2] In 2008, there were more than 52,000 rural offices, providing Telecom services to the villages across the country. The number of fixed telephone lines is above 24 million, with penetration factor of 33.66%. Besides, there are 18 million private internet users in Iran (over 23 million when counting public/"internet cafe" users),[4] making the country first in the Middle East, in terms of number.[5]

Iran is among the first five countries which have had a growth rate of over 20 percent and the highest level of development in telecommunication.[6] Iran has been awarded the UNESCO special certificate for providing telecommunication services to rural areas. By the end of 2009, Iran's telecom market was the fourth-largest market in the region at $9.2 billion and is expected to grow to $12.9 billion by 2014 at a CAGR of 6.9 percent.[7]

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.[8] There were 1,200 registered information technology (IT) companies in 2002, 200 of which were involved in software development. Software exports stood around $50 million in 2008.[9]

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.[10] By the end of 2009, Iran's telecom market was the fourth-largest market in the region at $9.2 billion and is expected to grow to $12.9 billion by 2014 at a CAGR of 6.9 percent.[7]

The Fourth Five Year Economic Development Plan has proposed the following key benchmarks for 2010: 36 million fixed lines; 50% penetration rate for mobile phones; establishment of reliable rural ICT connections and 30 million internet users. Given the recent developments of the industry, the objectives are very likely to be achieved.[5]

More than 23 million Iranians have access to the Internet and over 45 million own mobile phones. 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. Blogging is also immensely popular.[11] Iran is among 5 countries with cyber warfare capabilities according to the Defense Tech institute (US military and security institute).[12]

Press

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).

Satellite

Since the 1970s, there have been a number of proposals for a state-owned communications satellite, called Zohreh (en:Venus) from 1993 onwards.[13][14] The planned satellite would have similar capabilities to a commercially-produced Western satellite, while such capabilities are already provided through leases owned by the Iranian telecommunications sector. Most recently, an agreement was signed between Iran and Russia in 2005 to develop the satellite with a planned launch date of 2007,[15] but the launch has been postponed until at least 2009, set to follow actual construction of the satellite.[16]

Radio

  • Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)[17]
  • Number of Radios: 22 million (2005)

Television

  • Television broadcast stations: 29 (plus 450 repeaters) (1997[17]
  • Number of televisions: 15 million (2007 est.)
  • Although formally illegal, the use of satellite television receivers in urban areas is widespread. Over 30 percent of Iranians watch satellite channels.[18]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Burkhart, Grey, ed (March 1998). "Iran". National Security and the Internet in the Persian Gulf Region. Georgetown University. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Telecoms And Technology Forecast for Iran". Economist Intelligence Unit. August 18, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  3. ^ http://www.iran-daily.com/1386/2809/html/focus.htm
  4. ^ a b c d https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html#Econ
  5. ^ a b http://www.atiehbahar.com/Resource.aspx?n=1000014
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ a b http://voice-quality.tmcnet.com/topics/phone-service/articles/73387-iran-telecom-market-expected-reach-129-billion-2014.htm
  8. ^ a b http://www.ebusinessforum.com/index.asp?layout=newdebi&country_id=IR
  9. ^ a b Iran Daily: Software Exports Hit $45m
  10. ^ Iran Daily - Economic Focus - 10/09/06
  11. ^ Iran's Twitter Revolution
  12. ^ http://www.defensetech.org/archives/004432.html
  13. ^ Yiftah S. Shapir. "Iran's Efforts to Conquer Space".
  14. ^ "Zohreh".
  15. ^ Howard, Roger (2007). Iran Oil: The New Middle East Challenge to America. I.B.Tauris. pp. 140. ISBN 1845112490.
  16. ^ "Iran's Zohre satellite to be launched in 2009". Persian Journal. 2006-12-11.
  17. ^ a b https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html#Communications
  18. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081119/wl_mideast_afp/iranpoliticsmediainternet_081119173359

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