Page 61 - IRANRptAug21

data also showed that in the entirety of that year (ended March 21, 2020), Iran produced around 10mn tonnes of milk.
9.2.5 Retail corporate news
Iran’s answer to Amazon Digikala expands to Yazd
Iran’s biggest online retailer DigiKala, sometimes referred to as the “Iranian Amazon”, has announced that it is expanding into another region of the country, with a new depot opened in the central city of Yazd, ICTNA reported on April 25.
DigiKala has also dovetailed with an “online shopping week” promoted by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by launching a “DigiKala for all Iran” campaign. The company said: “DigiKala intends to introduce its services to the residents of each province of Iran every week.” The project will roll out a series of expansions, starting with the provinces Yazd, Kerman, Golestan, and Semnan. Free shipping is presently available in Yazd.
In May 2020, Digikala announced it was investing in digital retailer of clothing Komodaa. As part of the deal, Komodaa uses Digikala’s infrastructure, logistics, payment services and marketing department.
Previously, in 2018, Digikala expanded its offer to food sales after acquiring an online supermarket.
The Mohammadi twins who founded DigiKala are photography buffs who were inspired to launch their business after saving a thousand dollars to buy an SLR camera that they found it difficult to obtain in Iran.
“We spent all our money on that camera,” Hamid Mohammadi told Forbes in January 2015. “That’s how the idea came about. We wanted a website with lots of information and reviews for consumer electronics, and also a good shopping experience, beyond information and reviews. The idea was a combination of CNET and Amazon. We thought it was necessary to have both business models in Digikala because both were a very real problem for Iranians.”
9.2.6 TMT corporate news
Mobile Communications of Iran plays catch-up as it launches fourth 5G mast
Iran’s number one mobile phone operator Mobile Communications of Iran (MCI) has launched its fourth fifth generation (5G) mobile phone mast. The mast, in the Tehran Book Garden, was brought online on March 13.
MCI is playing catch-up with technological leader in Iran MTN-Irancell, a company part-owned by MTN of South Africa. It is usually the enterprise associated with the launching of new telecoms technology on the Iranian market. MTN-Irancell already operates several 5G mobile masts in the capital. The opening ceremony for the new 5G capable site is part of a push by the The Iranian government is keen on the rolling out of 5G as part of plans to bring business and government services online to reduce overall operating costs. However, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi sometimes draws the ire of conservative factions in pushing ahead with 5G plans in ways they deem irresponsible in terms of security, cultural, religious or other sensibilities.
Opening up the super-fast internet in the country could weaken the state’s grip on the media, even when it comes to news and programming from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the state-owned media giant which controls swathes of news output in Iran.
61 IRAN Country Report August 2021 www.intellinews.com