Sattar Hashemi said on Sunday that the government will hold auctions in the coming days for radio frequencies needed to expand Iran’s 5G network, PressTV reported.
“We hope we can roll out the fifth generation of mobile (internet) in the country in the current year with a focus on metropolises,” Hashemi told reporters on the sidelines of an annual book fair in Tehran.
He also said that Iran had reached an agreement with South Korean authorities to have the 5G option enabled in Samsung phones imported from the East Asian country.
Hashemi later wrote on his X account that expanding the 5G network in Iran has been one of the main priorities of the country’s telecoms ministry.
He said that the 5G network will allow Iranian users to enjoy download speeds of up to 500 megabits per second (mbps).
“… we will get to know the real meaning of online services, gaming, and movie streaming,” said the minister.
The speed of mobile internet in Iran reached an average of 37.36 mbps in May last year, according to data from the international speed monitoring websites.
The same data showed that Iran had moved up three places to 73rd in the global ranking of countries with regard to mobile internet speed in May.
Figures released by Iran’s Communications Regulatory Authority in August also showed that the number of 5G mast sites in the country had increased to a total of 1,313 in late March 2024.
MP/
