MTN-Irancell's CEO announced that his company has 21 million data subscribers and an additional 7 million 3G and 4G LTE mobile line customers, according to the company’s press release on Saturday.
Alireza Ghalambor Dezfouli stated that his company now offers internet speeds as high as 150 Mps on its 4G LTE service. He added that their new Cat6 chipset is currently compatible with Samsung Galaxy S6 and they have teamed up with the mobile producer to offer the 4G service to their customers.
The second largest mobile line provider by number of subscribers announced that when it first came to the local market it was limited to offering second generation mobile phone technology systems. "Due to the strict regulations on the second generation, our internet speed was capped at 100 Kbps."
Dezfouli added that their 3G network now covers more than 200 cities and 4G network more than 50 cities in the country.
After the end of Rightel's exclusivity contract on 3G lines last year, MCI-Irancell was able to offer 3G mobile internet services.
The CEO noted that the difference between second, third, and fourth-generation networks is the download speed, claiming that MTN-Irancell's fourth-generation network has the potential to be upgraded to 300 Mbps if allowed by the local regulator.
The three major operators in the coming months will face increased competition through deregulation of the mobile internet market with the likely prospect of new 4G LTE competitors joining the fold. Back in November 2014, Iran’s ministry of telecommunications said it would continue to grant licenses to new internet technologies as a means to expand of its e-government services.
