Iran’s flagship optic fiber project gaining momentum
Iran is spending more on a flagship project to provide optic fiber broadband to some 20 million customers across the country.
Iran’s Telecoms Minister Issa Zarepour said on Thursday that the government had earmarked some 10 trillion rials ($20 million) in new funding for the expansion of the optic fiber network in Iran, wrote Press TV.
He said the funding comes on top of a decision last year that ordered mobile phone operators in Iran to allocate 8% of their net income to the country’s optic fiber project.
Iran hopes it can significantly boost the quality and speed of its fixed internet services through the expansion of the optic fiber network, which is technically known as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). Unlike mobile internet services, which have expanded rapidly in Iran in recent years, fixed broadband has lagged behind in many places.
Latest figures by Iran’s telecoms regulatory show the number of fixed broadband users in the country reached 11 million in March while the number of mobile internet customers rose to over 105 million. Zarepour said last week that the number of businesses and households covered by FTTH broadband will reach 10 million by the end of the current calendar year in March 2024.