Operating licenses of seven major telecom companies have been renewed.
According to Mehr News Agency, the licenses of Shatel, AsiaTech, Pars Online, Saba Net, Pishgaman, HiWeb and Mabna Telecom were renewed in the presence of the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi.
The new license allows the companies to present technologies relevant to landlines and Internet across the country with no limitations for another 10 years.
The operators will also have to provide, 20,000, 23,000, 26,000, 30,000 and 35,000 ADSL ports in the first five years respectively.
They are also required to set up telecommunications networks in the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan, Karaj, Shiraz, Ahvaz and Qom.
The recent measure has been taken to promote an environment of healthy competition and to prevent monopolistic behaviors. The government-owned Telecommunications Company of Iran was previously the only company to get such a license.
Internet Speed Check
Earlier, Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority announced that it had set up a website by which users could check the speed and quality of ADSL and WiMAX Internet provided by 13 operators.
These operators include Shatel, AsiaTech, Pars Online, HiWeb, Pishgaman, Telecommunications Company of Iran, Asre Telecom, SabaNet, Datak, Laser, Irancell and Mobinnet.
The measure was taken following numerous complaints by Iranian Internet users regarding speed and services. It is aimed at helping boost Internet services and quality.
Using the service, customers may see the download and upload speed, delays and other problems on http://cra.ir. The test results can also be saved. This will help users select whichever Internet provider they think is offering better services.
Users often complain that their Internet traffic runs out before it is supposed to and the lack of access to Internet further exacerbates the problem.
At present, no solution has yet been put forth for avoiding this problem and users do not have a way to monitor their Internet usage.
