Plan Calls for Unlimited Internet at Lower Cost

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) of Iran has ratified a plan to give access to ‘unlimited data’ to Internet subscribers.

The plan comes following years of complaints by users about limited Internet packages. The so-called unlimited packages had been suspended by companies in recent years for hitherto unknown reasons.

Sadeq Abbasi Shahkouh, CRA deputy director, said that six types of Internet services will be offered to ADSL, FTTH and VDSL subscribers based on speed and also “the amount of traffic usage” within a month, Mehr News Agency reported.

The new services offer different pricing strategies for local National Information Network data and ‘regular’ Internet traffic, with local content at half price of foreign Internet traffic cost.

However, the package seems to be different from what the regulator had initially planned to offer as “unlimited”.

Unlimited was originally sold as such, but according to the new definition it seems to be limited.

Shahkouh noted that the service will be delivered under the “Fair Usage Policy”, which has its own conditions and limitations.

The concept was introduced to make sure that a few customers who are heavy users didn’t “occupy” the available bandwidth, making the overall experience bad for others on the same network.

Internet providers have been given a one-week deadline to announce their prices for the new services.

The new services are aimed to offer better Internet access as it will have a major impact on development of Internet-based business as well as help create jobs.