Telecommunication of Iran

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HISTORY OF TELECOMMUNICATION IN IRAN

Telecommunication in Iran, like many other countries, started via commissioning of the first telegraph line between Tehran and Chaman Soltanieh (Nasseredin ShahÌs summer resort near Zanjan) in 1857, almost 14 years after the invention of the service by Mr. Morse. Two years later this line was extended to Zanjan, Tabriz, and Julfa, and was connected to the Russian telegraph network along with the expansion of this service worldwide, until Iran became a member of the International Telegraph Union in 1869 and the relevant department then promoted to the Ministry of Telegraph in 1876.

Second phase of telecommunication expansion began with installation of the first telephone line in Iran in 1890, some 12 years after its invention, however, the development of the telephone network started in 1941.

In 1890, the first telephone line was established between the Steam Train Station and Shahre Ray, then followed by the next lines between Kamranieh (Shemiran) and the Imperial Building of the Ministry of War, and also between the ShahÌs resort in suburban Tehran (Saltanat-Abad) and the Imperial Building in Central Tehran.

The first new telephone network was exploited via 2300 pairs of cable in October 1926 and its operation was handed over from the telephone companies to the Ministry of Post and Telegraph in 1929, which then renamed to the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone.

Two years later, the government purchased the stocks of the telephone companies and established the Telephone Company of Iran Ltd. .

In September 1941, simultaneous with the withdrawal of the Allied Forces from Iran the new telephone lines (carrier systems) installed by them, were purchased, and the qualitative and quantitative development trend of the telephone systems, from magnetic to automatic, gradually continued, which was then followed by the commissioning of the long-distance microwave network in 1964, establishment of the first telecommunication equipment factory in 1966, operation of the first satellite earth-station in Assad-Abad (Hamedan) in 1969, connection of the first PCM cable between Tehran and Karaj, establishment of telecommunication training center, and the inauguration of Iran Telecommunication Research Center (ITRC) in 1970.

Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) was established in 1971 with a new organizational structure as the main responsible administration for the entire telecommunication affairs, and Iran Telecommunication Industries (ITI) was also founded in the same year to manufacture the required equipment for the national long-distance network.

TELECOMMUNICATION IN IRAN AFTER THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the commencement of Iraq imposed war against Iran impeded the development of our telecommunication network, however, in 1979-1984 timeframe, more than 351,000 telephone lines were established, 1363 villages were connected to the national telephone network,101 cities enjoyed the long-distance facilities and some 4083 local and long-distance telephone booths were installed throughout Iran.

After the first operational testing of optical fiber cable at ITRC in 1984, Shahid Ghandi Telecommunication Cable Manufacturing Company was established in Yazd in 1985 and started its operation in 1989. The first long-distance coaxial cable link was established between Tehran and Isfahan in 1988, and, one year later, the first digital switching center and the long-distance OFC link between Tehran and Karaj were commissioned.

In 1991, the first Inmarsat Coast Earth Station started operation in Iran and, also Data Communication Company of Iran, as the relevant department for planning, operation, and development of data networks and value-added services was commissioned and succeeded to set up the phase one of Iran Public Data Network (PDN), or Iran Pac, with X.25 protocol.

Principle agreement was achieved in 1992 to re-establish the Scientific and Applied Telecommunication College, which had merged with other universities after the cultural revolution.

First VSAT terminals were commissioned by TCI in 1993, together with digital switching centers in eight cities and also the Islamic Revolution Telecommunication Complex or Tehran Large-Capacity Tandem (LCT). TCIÌs main achievements in 1994 were expansion of Tehran local telephone network to 1,945,000 lines and establishment of Tehran cellular (mobile) network.

Articles of association of the provincial telecommunication companies were ratified by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 1995 and these companies started their operation in 1996. Expansion of mobile networks in 35 cities and planning of over one million mobile phones, connection of 90 cities to the national data network, and expansion of VSAT network of up to 70 percent were also carried out in 1996.

With regard to the important role of telecommunication in all aspects of our lives, Islamic Republic of Iran has taken great steps in the development of telecommunication networks and, for this purpose, TCI, as the main responsible organization, has utilized the most advanced equipment and services such as digital switching centers, optical fiber cables, mobile phones, data networks, satellite services, and telephone special services during the recent years, and has also succeeded to manufacture more than 80 percent of the required equipment inside Iran.

In parallel with these achievements, TCI has carried out extensive activities to export technical and engineering services, and has put its valuable experiences at the disposal of other countries within the framework of consulting and contracting agreements.

In this respect TCI executed the Trans Asia Europe (TAE) OFC project in the territory of Turkmenistan with a length of 700 kms. while the main route, equipped with OFC, has a capacity of 7560 channels and the back-up route, with 14 radio links, entails 1890 channels.

All phases of this project, including planning, equipment procurement, execution, and training have been carried out by TCI.

Iran is among the first five countries which have had a growth rate of over 20 percent and the highest level of development in telecommunication, and is also proud to have been awarded the UNESCO special certificate for providing telecommunication services to rural areas.

At present, Iran enjoys membership in the following international institutions:

-International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

-Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT)

-International Telecommunication Satellite Organization (INTELSAT)

-International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT)

-Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)

-Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)

-Global System for Mobile (GSM)

-Asia Electronics Union (AEU)

-World Radio Conference (WRC)

-ICO Global Communication

-COSPAS-SARSAT