4,000 Telecom Projects Operational

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More than 4,000 telecommunication and postal projects, worth up to 1,900 billion rials (around $200 million), came on stream in four provinces.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the projects in the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Kerman, Bushehr and Isfahan through video conference on Sunday, IRIB reported.

Promotion of national data network is among the projects that launched by the president on the occasion of Government's Week (August 24-30).

Last week, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi inaugurated 28 key electronic and telecommunication projects.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of the projects on Tuesday, General Vahidi said the projects include satellite modules, HF (Hands Free) wireless communication systems, fiber optic equipment, Omni-directional HF antennas and cellular network technologies.

The Iranian official further added that the ministry's electronics industry manufactures a wide range of smart, efficient and state-of-the-art products.

Iran has initiated national and international projects to turn the country into the most preferred telecommunications hub in the region.

Iran has launched broadband networks with a relatively wide range of frequencies. The program aims to secure high speed voice and data transfer via 3G networks and WiMAX in the telecommunications network--in collaboration with the private sector.

Another program is to connect the country with global optical fiber networks from northern and northwestern borders to avoid any setbacks in global telecom systems.

In April, Iran and Russia signed a contract and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop mutual telecommunication and communication relations between the two neighbors.

The contract and the MoU were signed in Moscow between Iran's Telecommunication Infrastructure Company (TIC) and Russian firm Telecom, in the presence of Iran's Telecommunications Minister Reza Taqipour and his Russian counterpart Igor Shchegolev, Presstv wrote.

Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media Igor Shchegolev in a meeting with Iranian Telecommunications Minister Reza Taqipour called for Iran-Russia cooperation in the field of telecommunications in Moscow.

He termed Iran and Russia as the two active countries in the field of information transit which can play effective roles in establishment of telecommunication connections and communication channels in the world.

"We in Russia seriously emphasize in manufacturing and using all-Russian facilities on our communication and telecom channels, since experience has taught us that the western countries are neither reliable not trustworthy at times of emergencies and dire need," added Shchegolev.

Taqipour said the two countries have considerable potential for strengthening cooperation in telecommunications.

According to Iran's IT minister, Iran has a special geopolitical place through which Russia can have communications with the European states.

Earlier the government granted a license for the country's third mobile telephone network to state-owned Tamin Telecom.

In January 2009 the license was initially granted to a consortium of Tamin and Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) but was later withdrawn.

It was then given in May to Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Co (Zain) but that deal fell apart when Iran said Zain had not fulfilled its obligations, and launched a new tender.

The current telecom operators in Iran are the state-owned Iran Telecommunication Company (TCI)Iran Telecommunication Company (TCI) and Irancell, which is 49 percent owned by MTN Group sub-Saharan Africa's biggest mobile phone company.

© Iran Daily 2010