An Iranian mobile operator has installed a second antenna for providing superfast internet based on the so-called fifth generation technology (5G) in the capital Tehran.
Iran’s telecoms minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi took to his Twitter page on Thursday to announce the launch while sending a picture that showed the system was operating smoothly on a mobile phone.
Azari said the 5G mast is a second of five sites providing superfast internet that are planned to come on line in Tehran until late September.
A first 5G antenna had been launched in late July in downtown Tehran by the same service provider MTN Irancell, which is Iran’s second mobile operator.
The company and first operator MCI are planning to expand 5G coverage as they eye a massive growth in revenues from online services in the upcoming years.
The fourth generation of mobile data, known as 4G, had reached thousands of cities and villages across Iran. The current penetration rate for the service in the country is more than 60 percent, on par with many developed and developing countries around the world.
Increased internet access has caused a major boom for online businesses in Iran while it has enabled the government to provide remote and low-cost services, including those desperately needed by the Iranians during the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The government is intent on using high-speed internet services for schools across Iran as they are set to reopen in early September after months of closure over the pandemic.