Internet Prices Slashed in Iran

After President Hassan Rouhani took office almost four years ago Internet tariffs have decreased drastically and reached 14,000 rials ($0.37) for the base cost of transferring per megabyte.

Head of Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, announced the pricing change during a ceremony held on March 11 on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (formerly the Postal Ministry), ISNA reported.

Jahromi said when Rouhani took the helm in the summer of 2013 Internet tariffs in the country were about 36,000 rials ($0.97). Costs in major cities like Tehran has fallen to $0.37 and in rural areas to $0.24 (subsidized rural rate).

Earlier this month the Communication Regulatory Authority (CRA) issued a mandate requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer a 50% discount to subscribers using the new domestic national network.

The Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran too is set to cut  bandwidth tariffs for using the National Information Network. This is expected to make the new pricing system feasible for Internet service providers.

In recent years the administration has endeavored to boost the ICT sector through incentives and tax breaks to companies active in the area.

Several new services have been launched like 3/4.5G mobile Internet  and the domestic ICT infrastructure has seen significant investment from local and foreign firms.