Page 53 - IRANRptNov21

Iranian Netflix clone launched by MCI
coming months.
"Today, we unveil 100% Iranian 5G and negotiations and consultations with domestic operators and internet companies have begun. Aany operator who wants to use 5G can use this service from the day it operates [some time] in the next 3 months," he said.
Alipour went on to criticise the global community for holding a “monopoly” on the technology, stating that sanctions had blocked Iran from accessing the latest internet technology.
Alipour said the Sadad 5G system meets all Iranian telecommunications standards, whilst also stating that the company could also offer foreign internet operators access to the technology, despite sanctions stopping sales of such technology by Iranian companies.
He added: "The 5G platform is the same as the 4G platform, but it has better internet quality and we offer the fifth generation internet services."
Iran already has a limited 5G network in Tehran and other cities, thanks to the two biggest mobile operators in the country, Mobile Communications of Iran (MCI) and partly South African-owned MTN-Irancell. The two operators have a near duopoly on the market.
Despite US sanctions squeezing Iran, it has managed to push ahead with indigenous 5G technologies including a deal signed in June by MCI and SAIPA, Iran’s second-largest car producer.
The tie-up aims for an integration between the nationalised car corporation and MCI. If the project is successful, it will allow a driver and SAIPA to find faults in a newly produced vehicle in real-time and call breakdown services before the vehicle fails.
MCI is the largest mobile operator in Iran with over 20mn permanent subscribers. Currently, more than 100mn MCI SIM cards are in operation, including data cards and second lines, with roughly 1.2 SIM cards per person in Iran.
Netbox, a startup Iranian video-on-demand service, has been launched by Mobile Communications of Iran (MCI), Digiato has reported.
The platform was created by graduates of Sharif University of Technology, sometimes referred to as the "MIT" of Iran. The graduates received funding from MCI as part of an initial round of venture capital investment.
MCI’s investment arm announced in March that it would invest Iranian rial (IRR) 750bn ($2.77mn at the free market rate, $17.8mn at the official exchange rate) in two startups.
Mohammad Mehdi Abbaskhani, CEO of the investment arm, said that more than 200 business plans from companies in fintech, tourism, media, health and education were reviewed by his staff this year alone.
Netbox has entered a market with stiff competition. However, foreign streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime are blocked in Iran.
One streaming platform already in operation on the domestic market is Filimo. It said in March that it was expanding its reach to other countries with Persian speakers, including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
MCI, despite being the largest and oldest established mobile provider in Iran, has struggled to keep up with its main rival, MTN-Irancell, co-owned by South Africa’s MTN, which has invested huge sums in recent years into tech and e-commerce.
53 IRAN Country Report November 2021 www.intellinews.com