Page 80 - IRANRptOct22

Iranian Netflix clone launched by MCI
The rollout forms part of a push by the government to spearhead the digitisation of state services and grow Iran’s technology sector despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis now into its third wave in the country.
MCI said it was in the process of localising equipment needed for the 5G rollout.
Several new 5G masts are to be put into operation in Tehran and other cities in the next few weeks.
5G in Iran is being introduced in cooperation with unnamed Chinese telecommunications companies; Huawei equipment is being used, according to reports on the ground.
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.
9.2.5 Metallurgy & mining corporate news
Iran strikes lead and zinc mining rights deal with Taliban
Iran is set to begin lead and zinc mining operations in Afghanistan following a deal clinched between a private Iranian company and the Taliban authorities, Fars News Agency reported on October 3.
The unnamed Iranian company is to mine in Ghor Province, in central Afghanistan’s western Hindu Kush.
Mountainous Afghanistan is home to over 1,400 hard-to-reach mineral fields, with resources including copper, gold, iron ore, lead, sulphur and zinc.
The country also has deposits of high-quality gemstones including emerald, lapis, red garnet and ruby.
United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports on Afghanistan have previously concluded the country is home to untapped mineral deposits worth around $1bn.
Afghanistan is part of the eastern flank of the developing International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), stretching from Russia to India via Iran. Via road and rail, the country is connected to Iran’s sole oceanic port of Chabahar on the edge of the Indian Ocean.
Ebrahim Jamili, head of the Mines and Mining Industry Commission of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, said Iran was seeking further foreign mining deals with other countries in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.
80 IRAN Country Report October 2022 www.intellinews.com