A report on the share of mobile telecommunication operators in Iran’s market has been released by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The ministry reported that since August 10, 1994, when Iran’s first operator, Mobile Telecommunications Company of Iran (also known as Hamrah-e-Aval or MCI) started providing services, 938 million SIM cards have been sold by the three major Iranian operators.
Of this number, only 77 million SIM cards are active, which indicates a 97.59% mobile network penetration rate in the country, Mehr News Agency reported.
MCI
With 44 million active SIMs, MCI has a 57% share in Iran’s mobile telecom market.
The ministry reported that the penetration rate of MCI in Iran is about 56% and 46.16% of the calls made through the company’s network have been successful.
According to the report, MCI’s SIMs are more popular in South Khorasan, Yazd and Tehran provinces.
MTN Irancell
With 80 million SIM cards sold and 30 million active subscribers, MTN Irancell is Iran’s second largest mobile network having a 40% share in the country’s telecoms market.
The company’s services penetration rate in the country is 38.84% and 47.51% calls made through its network were successful.
The company has the greatest share of mobile subscribers in the central provinces of Qom and Alborz.
RighTel
Irancell is followed by RighTel with about two million active users and a 3% share in the market.
The company provides special offers for foreign travelers and is the only operator selling Data SIM cards. The company has been significantly successful in Iran’s capital with people who prefer pay-as-you-go SIMs.
According to the report, Taliya, Iran’s first privately-owned mobile phone network, along with Mobile Telecommunications Company of Esfahan and Telecommunications Kish Company hold a meager 1% share of the market combined.
In the past week, the mobile market in Iran could be radically shaken up by the interest from Orange SA of France, which is interested in buying a stake in MCI.
