Nokia Corp. and the representative of Iranian LTE-TDD (4G) service providers’ consortium have signed a memorandum of understanding.
CEO of Shatel—Iran’s largest private-broadband Internet provider, Mohammad Hassan Shanehsaz-Zadeh who represented the consortium, and Rajeev Suri, the chief executive officer of Nokia signed the MoU for optimizing the use of LTE-TDD technology in Iran before the Iranian weekend.
The Iranian consortium was created after a decision by leading Internet providers to form a workgroup valued at over 10 trillion rials (above $300 million) to take charge of data transmission projects for the next generation of communications in the country, ICTNA reported.
LTE is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals, commonly known as 4G or the fourth generation mobile communications standard, which allows wireless Internet access at a much higher speed.
Iran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi and Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner were also present at the event.
During the meeting, Berner said Finland is ready to establish bilateral ties with Iran in all areas of communications.
“We are ready to promote cooperation with Iran in all key areas of communications, including electronic government and network security,” she added.
The Finnish minister also said Helsinki is ready to help Iran develop its digital services in healthcare, transportation and education sectors, and at the same time assist the country in the fields of information exchanges and mobile services.
State Initiative
The recent development follows Vaezi’s visit to the headquarters of Nokia in Finland, during which he met with the CEO of Nokia.
Vaezi said Iran welcomes the renewal of old ties with the Finnish multinational telecoms company.
He urged the company to claim its former role in Iran’s cell broadcasting sector and said, “By securing the support of the Finnish state and collaborating with Iranian companies and telecom operators, Nokia would be able to regain its former foothold in Iran.”
Vaezi also said technology transfer and investment in the domestic telecoms industry are of upmost importance to the Iranian administration.
Nokia’s former partner for mobile phone distribution in the country, Iratel, is believed to be the local facilitator of new 4G technologies in the country.
Financial Tribune contacted the venture capital group of the firm for confirmation that the company is again partnering with Nokia for local distribution rights. They did not respond before this report gone to print.
Since President Hassan Rouhani took office, his administration has been implementing measures to boost Iran’s IT sector and provide a secure environment in which e-commerce can thrive.
Technology transfer, indigenization of industries and attraction of foreign investors have been on top of the state’s agenda since 2013.
