Iran and Kazakhstan to Cooperate in the Telecommunication Sector

Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) has signed a cooperation agreement with Kazakhtelecom, the largest telecommunication company in Kazakhstan to bring newer telecommunication technologies to the country.

Barat Ghanbari, Chairman of the Board at Telecommunication Company of Iran stated that the telecommunication sector shares 1.5 percent of Iran’s GDP. “This amount has an important role in the economic growth of the country,” said Ghanbari during the signing ceremony of this cooperation agreement between the two countries.

“There will be a $15 billion investment in the communication sector of the country in the next 5 years, which half of this amount is related to the Telecommunication Company of Iran,” said Ghanbari. He also stated that the country is planning to bring the average internet speed of 20 Mbps to Iranians in the next five years.

Ghanbari also stated that Fixed–mobile convergence (FMC) and transitioning from 4G internet to new technologies is important for the company. Currently, 3G internet is accessible in almost every provincial capital in Iran. 4G communication is also provided by the three mobile operators of the country in major cities of Iran.

The Chairman of the Board at Telecommunication Company of Iran also stated that the country is interested in working in other areas, such as IXP with Kazakhstan. IXP or Internet Exchange Point is the infrastructure which lets the Internet Service Providers and Content Delivery Systems exchange internet traffic between their networks. Recently it was announced that Afghanistan has signed a contract with Iran to import 10 Gbps internet bandwidth from the country.

Telecommunication Company of Iran commonly known as TCI was founded in 1971 and is the Fixed-line incumbent operator in Iran. The company provides DSL, Fixed Telephone Landlines, and Data Service all around the country. Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran (MCI) which is the subsidiary of TCI brings most of the profits of its mother company.