Iran’s Communications Minister: Internet Tariffs Must Increase or We Won’t Maintain Current Quality This Year
Iran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, who previously stated that no one has the right to increase internet tariffs under the pretext of “increasing operators’ revenue share to the government in the budget,” now says that tariff increases are inevitable, otherwise “the network quality we currently have” will not be maintained in 2022.
According to news agencies in Iran, Issa Zarepour stated on Tuesday, April 2nd, that the goal of “adjusting” internet tariffs is to do so in a way that does not place financial and economic pressure on people, as “we know the people are dealing with various types of inflation.”
He noted that “the communications industry wheel turns with revenue generated from voice and data,” adding that part of the slow internet speed is due to the need for resources that have not been provided, and these resources must either be injected “through the government” or “through the people.”
Zarepour previously stated that in the past 10 years, proper development has not taken place for various reasons, one of which is the untouched fixed telephone tariffs, which have caused costs to multiply and necessary development has not been carried out. Part of the disruptions we experienced stemmed from this network, and the problem goes back to “communication links of Iran’s telecommunications company that had become saturated in some cities.”
On the 23rd and 24th of Esfand, several cities around Tehran experienced a two-day internet disruption from fixed and mobile operators, which was attributed to a fire in “telecommunications fiber housing.”
Previously, on the 13th of Esfand, the internet for some citizens in Tehran and Karaj was widely cut off for hours. Responsible officials attributed the disruption to a fire in an internet data center.
Meanwhile, a program for restricting and controlling the internet, called the “Sayyane” plan, is being drafted in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. A plan that would result in the Revolutionary Guards and armed forces taking control of the country’s internet.
Source: Voice of America
