The speed of fixed internet in Iran increased in June 2023, while that of mobile internet declined, according to the Speedtest web service’s latest survey on global internet speed.
Data released by Speedtest.net show Iran’s internet speed (according to the median index) settled one place higher for fixed wireless internet while that of mobile declined by two places compared to the previous month.
The website used two median and mean (average) indicators to measure the ranking and quality of internet worldwide. The mean index is the average, but the median is the middle point of statistical data. It claims that global rankings are reported based on median download speed “to best reflect the speeds a user is likely to experience in a market.”
Iran’s fixed internet speed ranked 145th (out of 180 countries) while mobile internet speed was at 67th place (out of 140 countries) in June.
Median fixed internet download speed is currently a dismal 11.8 megabits per second (Mbps), upload speed is 2.36 Mbps and latency is 29 milliseconds. This is while the median mobile internet download speed is 34.65 Mbps, upload speed is 10.33 Mbps and latency is 29 milliseconds.
According to Speedtest, the median global mobile internet download speed is 42.92 Mbps, upload speed is 10.21 Mbps and latency is 28 milliseconds. On fixed internet, download speed is 81.6 Mbps, upload speed is 36.4 Mbps and latency is 9 milliseconds.
The UAE’s median mobile internet download speed stood at 200.24 Mbps in June to rank first in the world. It was followed by Qatar with 182.98 Mbps, Kuwait with 152.95 Mbps, Norway with 143.83 Mbps, Brunei with 129.04 Mbps, South Korea with 125.28 Mbps, Denmark with 122.3 Mbps, Uruguay with 116.36 Mbps, the Netherlands with 108.06 Mbps and China with 105.17 Mbps.
For median fixed internet speed, Singapore ranked first with 247.29 Mbps.
The UAE with 239.2 Mbps, Chile with 229.48 Mbps, Hong Kong with 215.12 Mbps, China with 209.4 Mbps, Thailand with 206.6 Mbps, the US with 205.2 Mbps, Denmark with 199.26 Mbps, Spain with 180 Mbps and Monaco with 175.36 Mbps.
The Iranian government has launched a fiber optic project to improve the quality of fixed internet and eliminate the backlog of internet registration by expanding facilities for users and operators.
Iran Online Retailing Share Meager
The online retail market’s share of the total retail transactions in Iran is a meager 4%, which is insignificant compared to other countries of the region, according to a report published annually.
In its report, Digikala examined the state of Iran's e-commerce and compared it with that of other countries.
“Although Iran was a pioneer in this field compared to regional countries, it is currently lagging behind. While online retailing has gained traction in Iran's e-commerce market over the past few years, its share is very small and only 4% of retailing are done online,” the report was cited as saying by IRNA.
According to the report, the main reasons behind this small share are the low amount of investment, lack of support for digital economy in terms of regulations and restrictions targeting the infrastructural needs of online businesses.
In addition, sanctions hindering the development of digital businesses, the absence of major international brands, import restrictions, soaring inflation and a decline in people’s purchasing power are among other reasons affecting online retail in Iran.
Digikala’s report indicates that the online retail share was the highest in China with 46%. It stood at 36% in Britain, 20% in Denmark, Turkey and Indonesia, 16% in the US, 15% in Finland, 14% in Sweden and Canada, and 5% in India.
Of the 4% share of online retailing from the entire Iranian retail market, 2% belonged to online stores and 2% to retail stores operating on social media.
Digikala, which accounts for 1% of the sales registered by online stores, also shared the results of a national survey themed "People's attitude toward Digikala” conducted by the Iranian Students Polling Agency in the 11th month of the previous fiscal year (Jan. 21-Feb. 19, 2023).
According to this survey, 31% of people have never made a purchase online and the rest have used an e-commerce outlet at least once.
When those who had never shopped online were asked the reason behind their reluctance, 49% said they want to see the product they are buying in person, 16% did not trust online stores and 35% admitted their lack of familiarity with online shopping.
In fact, those who did not trust online stores and needed to see the product first represented one-fifth of the Iranian population.
Asked about the main advantages of online shopping, 65% mentioned convenience, 58% cited time-saving, 47% referred to lower prices and 47% declared variety of products offered by shopping online.
