The 1979 Constitution of the Islamic Republic mandates that "all broadcasting must exclusively be government-operated.” Iran has one of the least diverse media systems (in terms of ownership) in the Muslim world. Iran’s telecommunications industry is almost entirely state-owned, dominated by the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI). All cell phones, newspapers and television stations are essentially directed by the state. Regardless of the government control, Iran is among the first five countries that have more than twenty percent growth rate and the highest level of development in telecommunication.
Cost
TCI built and runs a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network. It was launched in the mid-1990s, the demand for the service was so high that it was difficult to complete a call at peak times. Iranians had to wait as along as a year and to pay US$500 for a mobile connection, with the cost rising to as much as US$1,200 on the open market. By the end of 2011, more than 27.767 million of people had access to a phone line.
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Fun FactsThe U.S. also funds broadcasting to Iran. In 2008, $33.6 million were taken for Iran broadcasting which included $8.1 million for Radio Farda, and $20 million for PNN- the Congressional Research Service.
Telecommunications began selling internet accounts to the general public, who have to pay a user a fee. By the end of 2009, Iran's telecom market was the fourth-largest market in the region Subscribers spend an average of US $8 per month for mobile services. |
Iran has a mix of advertising and in/direct government subsidies and cell phone providers do not offer cell phone contracts; instead they use prepaid cards that allow paying by the minute or text.
According to the BBC country profile of Iran, the newspapers are controlled by either the state run IRIB or IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) meaning that the mass media in Iran is all coming from one source; the government. Subscribers spend an average of US $8 per month for mobile services. |