Telecommunications Company of Iran needs approximately 70 trillion rials ($9 billion at market exchange rate) to revamp and update its networks, an official with the communications ministry said on Wednesday.
According to the ministry’s planning and strategic supervision deputy, Borat Qanbari, developing infrastructures and broadband are the government’s top priorities. The administration will be giving TCI $2 billion for the purpose of renovating networks, IRNA reported. Qanbari made the remarks on the sidelines of the Third National Conference of IT Managers of Academic Institutes.
Highlighting the importance of updated infrastructures, the official noted that “a domino effect will cause all governmental development projects to fall behind if TCI’s networks aren’t equipped with the latest technologies.”
Telecoms infrastructures are controlled by the administration and cannot be handed over to the private sector, he noted.
Developing fiber optic networks and major communication channels falls under the auspices of the government. Operators will not be able to expand their services if the government fails to prepare the needed potentials, he added.
“TCI is the ministry’s main actor,” he said adding that the two are closely dependant on one another.
Last year, the budget given to the ministry was 20 trillion rials ($600 million). According to the official, a large part of the sum was invested in the development of network infrastructures. The ministry has forecasted that their revenues this year will be 45 trillion rials ($1.3 billion).
