MTN Irancell: Iran: Company Profile Report

2012
www.businessmonitor.com
MTN IRANCELL: IRAN

COMPANY PROFILE REPORT
Published by Business Monitor International Ltd.

MTN IRANCELL: IRAN
COMPANY PROFILE
REPORT 2012
Part of BMI's Industry Report & Forecasts Series
Published by: Business Monitor International
Copy deadline: June 2012
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MTN Irancell: Iran Company Report 2012
© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 2

CONTENTS
Company Snapshot.......................................................................................................................................... 5
Contact Details ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Company Profile ............................................................................................................................................... 6

MTN Irancell ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Company Performance And KPI’s .................................................................................................................. 9

Table: MTN Irancell Key Performance Indicators, 2009-2011 ............................................................................................................................. 9
Performance In Pictures ................................................................................................................................ 10

Company Specific Charts..................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Competitor Charts ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Market Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Iran Mobile SWOT............................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Market Share ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Table: Iran – Mobile Market December 2011...................................................................................................................................................... 14
ARPU ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
3G ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
Mobile Contract Wins .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Table: Mobile Contract Wins............................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Fixed Line ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Internet ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Broadband ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Business Environment .................................................................................................................................. 24

MENA .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Table: MENA Telecoms Risk/Reward Ratings Q312 ........................................................................................................................................... 24
Iran ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
Regulatory Environment................................................................................................................................ 27
Table: Iran’s Regulatory Bodies And Their Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................... 27
Legislation And Market Liberalisation ................................................................................................................................................................ 27
Appendix: Telecoms Business Environment Ratings................................................................................ 29

Risk/Reward Ratings Methodology ...................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Ratings System ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Indicators............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Table: Ratings Indicators .................................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Weighting............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 31
Table: Weighting Of Indicators ........................................................................................................................................................................... 31


Company Snapshot
Contact Details
MTN Irancell
No.12 Anahita Alley Africa Street
Tehran
Iran
Tel: +98 935 160 0000
www.irancell.ir

Company Profile
MTN Irancell
Company Overview MTN Irancell is Iran’s second largest mobile operator. Since launching services at the end of
2006, the operator has expanded rapidly and now controls 45% of the mobile subscriber market.
In November 2003, the Ministry of Communications (now the MICT) issued a notice of its
intention to issue a second GSM licence. In February 2004, Turkish operator Turkcell announced
that it won the tender, at a cost of US$385mn, over its closest rival, South Africa’s MTN Group.
The Turkcell network was expected to launch within a year of licence issue, but by September
2004 the licence had yet to be formally awarded. The ongoing licence issue culminated in the
Iranian authorities limiting foreign ownership in Irancell to 49%. Talks between Turkcell and the
government eventually fell apart, leading the MICT to award the licence to MTN on November 21
2005. The remaining 51% stake is held by the Iran Electronic Development Company (IEDC).
Irancell is currently managed through a shareholder agreement setting out operational
management including key positions nominated by respective shareholders IEDC (chairman and
managing director) and MTN (chief operating officer and chief financial officer).
Strengths Iran’s second largest mobile operator, with a market share of 45% and growing.
Blended ARPU has been stable in recent quarters.
Has a major strategic backer in the form of South Africa’s MTN Group.
First to market with GPRS and MMS services.
Weaknesses Subscriber base is understood to be highly dependent on prepaid customers.
MMS business faces government censoring and filtering.
Lacks presence in the wireline sector that would allow it to offer converged services in the
future.
US embargo puts limits on potential network equipment partners.
Opportunities Iran’s relatively low mobile penetration rate means that customer growth should remain
strong over the next few years.
Although in the early stages, the market for mobile value-added and data services is
expected to see strong growth; the youthful orientation of Iran’s population should help to
underpin future growth.
Continuing network roll-out programme is expected to have a positive effect on future

growth.
Threats Iran is in the process of awarding the country’s third national mobile network licence; once
operational, the new operator is expected to become a major source of competition for
the established operators.
The privatisation of TCI could raise the level of competition for MTN Irancell.

Underdeveloped legal and judicial environment could pose challenges.
Strategy MTN Irancell aims to drive mobile penetration and market share through the deployment of
innovative products and services. It continues to emphasise the development of segmented
prepaid and postpaid packages. The operator also aims to improve the level of customer service
that is currently offered; the introduction of online registration and activation within 15 minutes
was designed to further this goal. A central part of MTN Irancell’s strategy is the implementation
of a network that supports 3G services and, over the next five years, a network that covers more
than 1,000 cities and comprises almost 6,000 BTSs. The operator aims to provide network
coverage to 85.0% of the population by October 2020.
Financial In October 2011 Iran Daily reported that the Iranian government had earned close to IRR66trn
(US$6.1bn) – directly and indirectly – from telecoms services provided by MTN during the last six
Performance
years.
In the year ended December 31 2011, MTN reported that revenues from its 49% stake in MTN
Irancell rose by 20.1% y-o-y to ZAR11.05bn, or by 89.9% in local currency. Airtime and
subscription revenues continue to be the biggest contributor to revenues, rising by 16.5% to
ZAR5.704bn. Interconnect revenues grew by 5.6% to ZAR2.434bn while SMS revenues rose by
39.9% (47% in local currency terms) to ZAR2.285bn. Data revenues continue to account for a
very small proportion of total revenues and grew by 60.1% y-o-y (66.5% in local currency) to
ZAR285mn. Operating costs declined by 23.6% in local currency, but rose by 17.3% y-o-y to
ZAR6.353bn. Low operating costs enabled the operator to increase its EBITDA margin by 1.2pp
to 42.5% in 2011, as EBITDA rose by 24.1% to ZAR4.697bn. However, the company saw a large
increase in rent and utilities costs following the removal of government subsidies and the
increase in fuel prices. Capital expenditure declined by 29.7% y-o-y to ZAR1.168bn as delayed
equipment delivery slowed rollout of some projects.
At the end of 2011, MTN Irancell claimed a total subscriber base of 34.681mn, growth of 16.6%
y-o-y, which the company attributed to lower denomination vouchers and seasonal promotions.
The operator projects its subscriber base will grow by 11-12% in 2012, reaching 38.681mn by the
end of the year. ARPU increased marginally in 2011 to US$7.9 after flatlining in 2010 at US$7.8,
likely due to the strong growth in data and SMS revenues.
Network Irancell launched its network in October 2006, with sales and network coverage initially limited to
Development the cities of Tehran, Mashhad and Tabriz. Further coverage was provided by means of
interconnection agreements with Iran’s other mobile operators. By February 2007, Irancell was
offering network coverage in Tehran, Tabriz, Mash’had, Karaj, Sari, Oroumiyeh, Maraqeh and
Qom, with a further two cities to be added: Meshkinshahr and Kermanshah. At the time, reports by
Fars news agency suggested that the network was incomplete in parts of Tehran and Karaj –
although Irancell stated that it had managed to raise coverage in the capital to 90%. The slow roll-
out of its network in the early stages was attributed to the lack of cooperation from municipalities
and objections from some of the population to the installation of base stations.

The operator has shared network contracts between three vendors: Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei
Technologies. Nokia provided the operator with a core and BSS network, while Huawei has also
supplied a BSS network system. By the end of 2007, Irancell was boasting a network presence in
365 Iranian cities and 30 provincial capitals; this enabled Irancell to reach 53% of the population
and ensured that it met its 50% coverage target, which was supposed to be achieved by the end
of the first year of operations. According to the terms of its licence, Irancell has to increase its
network coverage to up to 56%, 61% and 85% during the second, third and finally 15th year of
operations. By the end of 2007, 3,356km of the roads in Iran had been put under Irancell network
coverage.
In February 2007, Irancell launched Iran’s first GPRS services, available to prepaid and postpaid
subscribers. At the time of launch, Irancell announced that the service would be free for all
subscribers until the end of March 2007.
In November 2010, MTN Irancell launched a mobile banking service which allows subscribers to
purchase airtime and pay utility bills. MTN plans to introduce a number of other services, including
transferring money, account balance inquiries and receiving bills.
In January 2011, MTN introduced a new location-based service which can be used in several
major cities, including Tehran, Karaj, Tabriz, Esfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad. The new service can
be used for identifying the geographical location of a friend and informing them of a subscriber’s
whereabouts. The friends' location is notified to the subscriber through SMS or MMS.
According to a report by Iran Daily in October 2011, the number of cities covered by MTN was
1,874 by 23 September 2011. This would mean that the telco’s network covered 80% of the
country’s population by that date. MTN’s network coverage also includes 22,000 villages and over
20,000km of roads. This exceeds the operator’s previously-stated target of 9,000km. In addition,
the Iran Daily report suggested that MTN offered WiMAX connectivity in 25 cities across the
country and has nearly 175,000 WiMAX subscribers using its network.
Although MTN noted that several projects were delayed during 2011 due to delayed equipment
deliveries, Irancell continued to improve quality and capacity of its network. During the year, the
company installed 81 2G BTSs, bringing the total to 7,640, and increased population coverage to
77% and geographic coverage to 23%.

Company Performance And KPI’s
Table: MTN Irancell Key Performance Indicators, 2009-2011
Dec-09 Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11
Subscriber Numbers ('000)
Total number 23,260 25,386 26,967 28,486 29,743 31,391 32,182 33,314 34,681
Market share (%) 39.3 40.7 41.5 42.3 44.1 45.0 45.2 45.7 45.4
No. of net additions 2,558 2,126 1,581 1,519 1,257 1,648 791 1,132 1,367
Market share of net

additions (%) 72.6 65.9 62.4 64.1 617.1 73.2 53.8 67.2 39.3
Source: operator results, BMI

Performance In Pictures
Company Specific Charts

Competitor Charts

Market Analysis
Iran Mobile SWOT
Strengths MCI faces greater competition as MTN Irancell continues to expand its network
reach; by October 2011 coverage was reported to be at 80% of the population.
GPRS and MMS services are now offered by two leading network operators, MCI
and MTN Irancell, with the latter noting roughly 20% of its data services account for
total revenue. About 89% of its data services still derive from SMS.
Weaknesses Average customer spending levels are low, if the ARPU figures of MTN Irancell are
anything to go by and could drop further still on account of government cuts to food
and fuel subsidies. ARPUs have remained relatively flat in recent quarters.
Evidence suggests that GPRS user growth has been slow, with MTN Irancell at
about 10.6mn users.
MMS and SMS services are subject to government censoring and filtering.
US embargo puts limits on potential network equipment partners for the operators.
The only international operator of note in the Iranian market is South African mobile
operator MTN. The UAE’s Etisalat and Malaysia’s Axiata are withdrawing from the
market.
Opportunities Iran’s relatively low mobile penetration rate means that customer growth should
remain strong over the next few years. The presence of large numbers of inactive
prepaid users inflates the penetration rate and masks the potential for further
customer growth.
Although in the early stages, the market for mobile value-added and data services is
expected to see strong growth over the next few years; the youthful orientation of
Iran’s population should help to underpin future growth.
Continuing network expansion programmes of Iran’s leading operators should have

a positive effect on future growth.
Threats Government controls over mobile data and internet services could limit the growth of
this potentially lucrative sector – as is currently being witnessed through the creation
of a cyber police unit in early 2011.
The arrival of the third national operator could prompt a price war within the mobile
sector and result in a downturn for ARPU.
Unstable political and security environment could hinder investment in the sector
from equipment manufacturers and content providers.

Market Share
Only one of Iran’s mobile operators, MTN Irancell, 49%-owned by South Africa’s MTN, publishes
operational data on a regular basis, making accurate analysis of the market difficult. The market is an
effective duopoly between Irancell and TCI-owned Mobile Communications Company of Iran (MCI),
which BMI estimates held a combined market share of 98.9% at the end of 2011.
Based on new YE2011 data from Iran Mobile Market Growth 2009-2011
Number of Subscribers ('000)
Irancell indicating that its subscriber
base of 34.7mn accounted for around
45% of the total number of mobile
subscribers in Iran, we now estimate
there were just under 76.4mn subscribers
in the country at the end of 2011. We
estimate the market grew by 13.2% y-o-
y in 2011, slightly slower than the
14.1% rate of expansion estimated for
2010. Some 8.89mn net additions were
added during 2011, slightly more than e/f = BMI estimate/forecast. Source: BMI
the 8.33mn in 2010.
MTN Irancell is Iran’s second-largest operator, which began operations in Q406 and expanded rapidly.
After only a year in operation, it had cornered 21% of the market in terms of subscriber numbers, and
after two years its market share stood at 34%. Subsequent growth has been steady and the company added
more than 4.9mn new customers in 2011, increasing its market share from an estimated 44.1% at the end
of 2010 to 45.4% a year later. Although it signed up only 791,000 new customers in Q211, its slowest
quarter ever since Q406 when it just launched services, it rebounded in Q311 with a healthy 1.132mn net
new customers and signed up a further 1.367mn in Q411.
Although MTN continues to report y-o-y subscriber growth rates that are in double digits, 2010 growth
was noticeably lower than in the previous year, when the number of subscribers rose by 45%. In H209,
growth was driven by various attractive acquisition promotions, including a reduction in the price of SIM
starter packs, as well as loyalty programmes and bonus discount products. In 2010 MTN’s mobile
customer base expanded by 17.2% and, as expected by BMI, growth for 2011 was not far behind, at
16.6% y-o-y.
MCI is Iran’s largest mobile operator, which has seen its market share fall significantly since MTN
Irancell launched services. However, BMI estimates its share of the market at a still dominant 53.5% at
the end of 2011 when the operator had some 40.8mn subscribers. BMI believes the company added
around 3.9mn net new customers in 2011, growth of 10.6% y-o-y. As for Irancell, growth slowed in 2011

reflecting the maturity of the market and increasing penetration rate; we estimate MCI’s subscriber base
grew by 13.2% y-o-y in 2010. Although according to our data MCI added 2.1mn new customers in Q411,
this reflects an increase in our estimates for the operator based on Irancell’s stated market share and we
now believe MCI grew faster than previously estimated during 2011.
It should be noted that our estimates for Iran’s mobile market are likely to include inactive prepaid
customer, which will continue until MTN restates its figures to take into account inactive subscribers or
MCI begins to release regular operating data.
The rest of Iran’s mobile market is made up of small operators, which account for only a very small share
of the market. The largest of these is third-ranked Taliya with a market share of just 1.1%. Two regional
operators Mobile Telecommunications Company of Esfahan (MTCE) and Telecommunication Kish
(TKC) offer GSM services in Esfahan province and the Kish Free Zone respectively. A sixth operator,
Tamin Telecom, was authorised to provide 2G and 3G services in April 2010, the first 3G licence to be
granted in the country. However, it was not until late November 2011 that services were launched, under
the Rightel brand.
Table: Iran – Mobile Market December 2011
Operator No. of subscribers (‘000) Market share (%)
MCI (e) 40,843 53.5
MTN Irancell 34,681 45.4
Taliya (e) 835 1.1
MTCE (e) 18 0.0
TKC (e) 8 0.0
Rightel 2 0.0
Total 76,387 100.0
e = estimate. Source: Operators; BMI
BMI revised its assessment of the number of mobile subscribers served by third-ranked operator Taliya in
early 2011. The operator provides prepaid services only and we believe this included a significant number
of inactive subscribers. This led us to make substantial downward revisions to our estimate for the
number of Taliya mobile subscribers. We believe Taliya had about 800,000 mobile customers at the end
of 2010, giving it a market share of 1.2%. In assessing Taliya’s growth since then, we have erred on the
side of caution, estimating growth of just 4.4% in 2011 taking its share of the market to 1.1% at year-end.
Fourth-ranked MTCE commenced operations in mid-2002 as the first provider of mobile prepaid SIM
cards in Iran. It is licensed to operate a GSM 900MHz mobile service, with a capacity of 35,000

customers in Esfahan. Its 15-year licence expires in May 2016. MTCE is 49% owned by Malaysian
company Axiata, which announced in July 2010 it was possibly looking to sell its stake in MTCE. In
May 2011, Axiata entered into an agreement to dispose of its holding in MTCE to Telecommunication
Company of Esfahan, thought to be its partner in the venture, subject to certain (unspecified) conditions.
In Axiata’s annual report for 2011, the 49% holding in MTCE was classed as a ‘non-current asset held for
sale’. Based on market share data provided by MTN and old operating data provided by Axiata, we
estimate MTCE had some 18,000 subscribers at the end of 2011, up from 14,000 at the end of 2010 but
still an insignificant share of the overall mobile market.
TKC is owned by the Kish Free Zone Organization and operates solely on the island of Kish. We
estimate its subscriber base to be no more than 8,000.
Tamin Telecom was formally awarded a licence to provide 2G and 3G mobile services in Iran in April
2010 and had stated its aim of offering services before the end of 2010 with network to be deployed in
eight major cities by that time. However, it was not until late November 2011 that Rightel, reportedly
owned by Iran’s Social Security Organization, launched services. The SSO is understood to be a division
of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security but is described as a non-governmental agency funded by
contributions by salaried and self-employed workers, which provides social insurance services such as
unemployment and retirement. According to MTN, services were launched in a limited area only. In
BMI’s view, it seems unlikely that the SSO will have either the expertise, experience or financial
resources for Rightel to become a serious contender in Iran’s mobile market.
BMI had hoped that the sale of MTCE could present an opportunity for one of Iran’s smaller operators to
expand their market shares and network reach or attract a new company to the Iranian market, thereby
stimulating price competition and service innovation. However, it now seems likely that the company will
remain operating in Esfehan province only. Although UAE-based Etisalat secured exclusive rights for
two years to provide 3G services in Iran, in 2009, its licence was withheld and it has since indicated it
may no longer be interested in entering Iran’s telecoms market. International sanctions against Iran, the
continued state dominance of all sectors of the telecoms market and the difficulties faced by international
investors in the country are all likely to act as deterrents to potential foreign investors.
ARPU
MTN Irancell is the only Iranian mobile operator for which ARPU figures are available. Since our last
update, new data has been published for 2011. Previously, MTN reported that Irancell’s ARPU remained
flat throughout 2009, 2010 and Q111 at US$8, down from US$10 in Q407 and US$9 for all quarters in
2008. In Q211 MTN reported that ARPU at its Iranian business slipped to US$7.9, remaining at that level
in Q311, leading BMI to conclude to a marginal downwards trend in its ARPU levels. However, it now
appears the operator was reporting rounded up figures for earlier years. MTN now reports that ARPU
remained stable at US$7.8 in 2009 and 2010, rising to US$7.9 in 2011. Although it has not released any

figures in local currency for 2011, in 2010 average blended ARPU rose by 8.7% y-o-y to IRR83,311,
suggesting the previous stagnation or decline was actually due to fluctuating exchange rates. MTN may
not have supplied data for 2011 in local currency as the Iranian rial is under downward pressure and
households continue to shift their savings into dollars and gold, a situation that BMI expects will
continue.
BMI now believes Irancell’s ARPU is on a stable to slightly upwards growth trajectory despite special
promotions, which we believe is due to the growth in more lucrative data services. Irancell’s data
revenues grew by 66.5% in local currency terms in 2011 and still account for a very small proportion of
VAS revenues. We believe there is huge potential for ARPU levels to rise over the longer term, if data
and 3G services take off. However, in the short and medium term, as long as the overwhelming
predominance of prepaid services continues and MTN continues to attack MCI’s market share with price
as a key competitive factor, ARPU levels are likely to remain very low.
Considering the dominance of prepaid subscriptions and low use of value-added services and mobile data
across the market as a whole, we suspect MCI and the smaller operators have ARPUs that are similar to
those of MTN.
3G
The Iranian authorities have yet to embark on a 3G licensing process, although Tamin Telecom was
awarded the right to offer 2G and 3G services in April 2010. It is understood that the company was
granted the exclusive right to provide 3G services for a two-year period, although it is not clear whether
this is from the licence date or service launch date. It was not until November 2011 that services were
launched, under the Rightel brand, and it is also unclear whether the company is yet offering 3G services.
According to MTN, the third national operator launched its initial services in a limited geographical area
only. MTN said it maintained its ‘active engagement’ with the Iranian authorities during 2011 to get
clarification on its right to provide 3G services.
There are clear signs of the potential demand in Iran for advanced mobile data services. Irancell launched
GPRS services in early 2007, allowing subscribers access to the internet from their mobile phones. The
service was launched in late February and subscribers were able to use GPRS free until the end of March
as an opening promotional offer. Parent company MTN has not released any figures on GPRS usage,
which we believe could be a sign of limited take-up. Meanwhile, Iran’s leading cellular operator, MCI,
owned by TCI, announced the launch of its GPRS-based service offering in November 2008 and
comments in early 2009 by TCI’s chairman suggest customer usage had been limited. Taliya offers WAP-
based data services and has announced plans to begin testing GPRS, although nothing has been reported
concerning a service launch.
Meanwhile, although 3G services have yet to be launched in Iran, this has not stopped Iranians from
wanting to acquire 3G capable smartphone handsets. According to an article published by Reuters in mid-

January 2010, the minimum retail price for the latest Apple iPhone handset 4.0 was US$880, while the
price of an iPad ranged from US$680 to US$1,100 in the capital Tehran. Despite economic sanctions
placed on Iran, Iranians are keen to acquire the latest handsets and gadgets, which are seen as a status
symbol. Further, while access to some features on the iPhone and other similar smartphone handsets such
as RIM’s BlackBerry is limited, it has not diminished their appeal. The high cost of high-end
smartphones puts them out of the reach of the majority of Iranians, whose spending power was further cut
from December 2010 when the government started to cut back on fuel and food subsidies with the aim of
saving the state up to US$100bn per year.
Mobile Contract Wins
Table: Mobile Contract Wins
Contract
Date Value Details
MTN Irancell signs a deal with Nokia for the provision of the operator’s core
February 2006 Na GSM network infrastructure in Iran.
MTN Irancell signs multiple mobile network supply contracts with Nokia,
Huawei and Ericsson. Nokia is contracted to supply Irancell’s core network.
The three vendors are each contracted to supply parts of the base station
March 2006 US$603mn network in different regions of the country.
na = not available. Source: BMI

Fixed Line
The most recent operational data published by Iran’s state-owned incumbent operator, TCI, relate to the
end of June 2010. According to the operator, it had 25.41mn fixed lines at that time, down from
25.804mn at the end of 2009 and compared to 24.5mn at the end of 2008.
According to the ITU, Iran had 26.849mn fixed telephone lines in service at the end of 2010. This reflects
growth of 4% during 2010, the same level as in 2009.
There is little evidence of any significant slowdown in growth for Iran’s fixed-line market although the
incumbent operator reported a slight decline in fixed lines in H110. Demand for fixed-line services
continues despite the maturity of the country’s mobile market, which BMI believes is mainly due to
network deployments in rural areas. In particular, TCI has focused on increasing the number of villages
that are connected to its network. According to latest data for June 2010, the number of connected
villages reached 52,600, while some 9,800 villages were equipped with rural ICT services. The number of
connected villages in H110 represented a decline from 62,120 at the end of 2009. As for the number of
TCI-connected villages, this increased from 43,800 at the end of 2004 to 53,845 at the end of 2008.
Fixed Lines
By the end of September 2009, 1,223 1997-2010 (‘000)
cities were connected to TCI’s network
due to the expansion of its fibre-optic
network; this figure was up from 1,205 at
the end of 2008, 1,086 at the end of 2007
and 942 cities at the end of 2006. It was
reported by the TCI that as of June 2010,
there were about 99,000 data ports in the
country, although BMI believes this
figure does not relate solely to TCI ports.
During 2008, TCI added another Source: TCI
44,000km to its optical fibre network, raising the total number of kilometres to 125,000km. According to
the latest data from the operator, an additional 7,000km of optical fibre were deployed in the first nine
months of 2009. This raised the total number of kilometres to 132,000km. International bandwidth
capacity was increased from 10,870Mbps at the end of 2007 to 22,992Mbps at the end of 2008. By the
end of September 2009 (latest available data), international bandwidth capacity had been raised to
26,154Mbps. While TCI has not provided any further information with regard to the development of its
national optical fibre network, we believe that the operator continues to steadily expand its network.

Iran’s incumbent telecoms company argued that the deployment of optical fibre has helped it provide
better local, national and international connection for voice, data and multimedia transmission services.
The TAE (Asia-Europe) project is one of the measures taken by TCI to connect Asia to Europe, through
Iran, by means of a 2,200km optical fibre cable. Among the other projects that TCI has recently been
involved in is the 150km Iran-Afghanistan optical fibre cable system. In April 2008, it was revealed that
Chinese equipment vendor Huawei Technologies had signed an MoU with Iran’s TCI that will see the
two firms collaborate on training. According to local reports, Huawei will be working with TCI at the
Telecommunications College in Esfahan to offer joint educational programmes on wireline and wireless
technologies.
In April 2010, Qatar-based submarine

cable operator Gulf Bridge
TCI Optical Fibre Network Expansion
International (GBI) signed an agreement 1997-2009 (km)
with the Telecommunications
Infrastructure Company of Iran (TIC)
for the landing of GBI’s submarine cable
in the country. The GBI cable system,
which was completed in December 2011,
has eight landing points in the Middle
East connecting Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE.
Eastwards it has onward connectivity to
the GBI landing station in Mumbai, Source: TCI
India, while westwards it links to the
landing station in Sicily, which provides onward connectivity to major European markets.
In June 2011, Iran’s TIC was one of four telecoms carriers to sign a construction and maintenance
agreement for a new cable system. The Europe-Persia Express Gateway (EPEG) will pass from Frankfurt
across Eastern Europe, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and the Persian Gulf to Barka in Oman, a total length of
around 10,000km, around 9,500km of which will be terrestrial cable. EPEG members Cable & Wireless,
Rostelecom, Omantel and TIC will build and develop the parts of the network in their own country while
the Azerbaijan segment will be built by Delta Telecom. The design capacity of the new EPEG system
will be up to 3.2Tbps with total length approximately 10,000km (about 9,500km is a terrestrial fibre
cable). The system will be put in operation in May 2012 with an initial capacity of 540 (54x10) Gbps and
will have an ultimate capacity of up to 3.2Tb/s. According to reports, Delta Telecom completed the
Azerbaijani segment in April 2012 and testing of the gateway was expected to begin by June 2012.
Alcatel-Lucent supplied the equipment for the project.

Internet
According to the last set of official

figures to be published on Iran’s telecoms
TCI Internet User Growth
sector, the country had a total of 23mn 2006-2009, (mn)
internet users at the end of September
2009. BMI estimates that by the end of
2011 the number of internet users had
increased to more than 27mn. This was
equivalent to almost 37% of the
population and reflects growth of 7.5%
over the previous year. As with the fixed-
line sector, Iranian incumbent operator
TCI dominates the internet market
through its subsidiary Data Source: TCI
Communication Company of Iran
(DCI).
TCI previously expressed plans to expand its internet user base to 30mn by the end of 2009, although this
target does not appear to have been reached, with around 23mn users as of September 2009 (latest
available data). Nevertheless, it needs to be remembered that accurately calculating the number of internet
users can be a challenging task in the majority of countries. One difficulty in calculating the number of
internet users in Iran is the way in which many internet users access the internet at public facilities such as
libraries and internet cafés. It is also the case that shared household connections provide internet access to
multiple users.
DCI announced it had 50,818 data access ports in December 2008, compared with 36,806 at the end of
2007.
In 2007, reports surfaced in the media about the poor level of service provided on TCI’s network. Limited
network capacity has traditionally affected other ISPs that have purchased capacity over the network to
sell on to end consumers. According to Taliya News, service outages occurred as frequently as once every
month. Further, additional problems occurred as a result of insufficient back-up capacity; this is designed
to ensure that traffic can be handled if a problem occurs with the main fibre network.
Ongoing investments by TCI in the expansion of optical fibre and international bandwidth capacity
should go some way towards improving internet service quality. According to a report in March 2010 by
news agency Zawya, TCI had announced plans to extend the National Internet Network (NIN) to achieve
true national coverage over the next 12 months. It is understood that the expansion project would also

increase network capacity fourfold. Mohammad Ali Aryanian, TCI’s deputy director of IT, is reported as
saying that contractors were in the process of setting up facilities and equipment for the upgrade, which
was to come on stream within six months.
Iran is reported to have over 1,200 ISPs, many of which operate in individual regions. Current regulations
stipulate that Iran’s ISPs have to rely on TCI for their bandwidth. Previously, Iranian ISPs had to rely on
TCI’s PSTN. Increasingly, however, Iran’s ISPs have access to the modern data line capacity provided by
TCI’s national IP-based network.
Meanwhile, several Iranian companies, including TCI, are involved in different initiatives aimed at
expanding the amount of international bandwidth capacity. In November 2009, it was reported that
privately owned Iranian company Iran Mobin had formed a 50/50 equity joint venture with C-Ring
Telecom, itself a venture of Russian long-distance operator Synterra and Azerbaijan’s AzTelekom. The
project aims to collaborate on the planned rollout of a new fibre-optic ring around the Caspian Sea to
handle Europe-Asia voice and data transmission and improve internet service delivery in the Caspian
region. Iran Mobin will connect to the C-Ring network through the backbone of state-owned
Telecommunication Infrastructure Company (TIC), the only backbone infrastructure operator in Iran.
For its part, TIC has signed an agreement with another Russian carrier, Rostelecom, to share international
transmission links. The two companies were reported in April 2010 to have signed a signed a joint
memorandum of understanding to act as strategic partners to create a North-South telecommunications
transit corridor. The project reportedly aimed to meet growing demand for telecommunications services
in the Caspian and Middle East region and would increase the capacity of international backbone links to
transit voice traffic and internet access. As the first step the memorandum included the joint
modernisation of national networks and relevant international border crossings through installation of
DWDM, increasing total capacity of the transit corridor to 100Gbps. TIC is also involved in two new
cable systems providing regional and international capacity.
Broadband
According to the ITU, Iran had 400,000 fixed broadband subscribers at the end of 2009, up from 300,000
at the end of 2008. By the end of 2010, this had risen to 500,000, up by 25% y-o-y. However, these
figures are at odds with those previously provided by TCI, which reported there to be 600,000 subscribers
at the end of 2008 and on which BMI had previously based its own forecasts on. However, this higher
figure is understood to include wholesale broadband connections that are sold to other ISPs.
By the end of 2011 we estimate that Iran had around 1.5mn broadband subscribers. This is was up by
around 14% compared to the previous year. Despite the relatively strong growth, Iran’s broadband
penetration rate was still just 2% at the end of 2011. The low penetration rate compared with other nations
in the region illustrates the limitations that high-speed internet services face in Iran. As we have
previously noted, these include the various forms of government interference in the sector.

DSL services were first introduced to Iran in 2004. In March 2004, Alcatel announced that it would
supply the first DSL network in Iran. The contract was signed with Asre Danesh Afzar (ADA), a
privately owned ISP. According to the terms of the deal, Alcatel was to provide 100,000 DSL lines over a
three-year period. The DSL lines were aimed at providing large numbers of users in Tehran and across
the country with a high-speed internet connection, and in time access to a breadth of broadband services.
The first phase of the agreement, completed in May 2004, covered the deployment of 23,000 lines.
Other ISPs that offer DSL-based broadband services include CTEL Kish (formerly Parsun Network
Solutions), Datak Telecom, Pars Online and Shatel. Pars Online was founded in 1999 and provides
dial-up, ADSL and VSAT services. Meanwhile, CTEL Kish, Datak and Shatel all offer ADSL+ services.
Although ADSL is the main form of broadband internet connectivity, other broadband technologies have
emerged and have the potential to grow in significance. For example, Laser Company announced in
January 2007 that all of Tehran’s districts had been covered by its WiMAX-based wireless broadband
network.
In March 2009, it was reported that WiMAX licences had been awarded to four companies, enabling
them to launch services in specific provinces of Iran. Mobile operator MTN Irancell was licensed to
provide WiMAX services in the six provinces of Tehran, East Azarbaijan, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, Fars
and Khuzestan, however, the operator has stated that take-up remains slow on account of bandwidth and
content limitations. In October 2011 a report in Iran Daily suggested that MTN offered WiMAX
connectivity in 25 cities across the country and had nearly 175,000 WiMAX subscribers using its network
at that time.
Two other companies, Espadan and Rayaneh Danesh Golestan, were respectively permitted to offer
WiMAX services in Esfahan Province and Golestan Province, while MobinNet Telecom was the fourth
company to be awarded a nationwide WiMAX licence to offer services in all 31 provinces. The company
paid US$107mn for the licence in 2008, launching services in 35 major cities the following year. At the
ceremony at which the licences were awarded, the president of Iran’s Radio Communication and
Regulations Organization reportedly spoke about government policy on providing greater public access to
broadband services, noting the ability of WiMAX to offer high-speed network access at a reasonable cost.
In 2009 MobinNet launched 150 BTS sites for its WiMAX network. The company confirmed that it had
450 base stations completed at the end of its first phase of roll out. The company aimed to expand its
network to 1,250 base stations with 80% indoor coverage. The company offers high speed internet to both
residential and SME customers as well as VPN services. According to the company, the latter services are
used by several Iranian Banks for both headquarters and branch telecommunications requirements.
Despite having already committed some US$20bn to the development of a next generation network
(NGN), Iran’s government has continued to restrict the use of broadband services by residential users. In
October 2006 it was reported that the government had banned high-speed internet links faster than

128Kbps in order to stifle domestic political dissent and combat the influence of Western culture. This
decision by the government – ostensibly to clamp down on Western media influences – did not, however,
extend to the corporate sector; it has been suggested that the government feared the economic
consequences that such a clampdown might have on business sentiment. In February 2010, the Iranian
government blocked access to a number of foreign-owned sites including Yahoo!, BBC, Voice of
America, as well as social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In addition, e-mail sites such
as Gmail and Yahoo! Mail were also said to be difficult to access. These latest attempts by the Iranian
government to block access were largely attributed to the Egyptian uprising. The Iranian government has
justified its restrictive practices by appealing to the need to combat Western cultural influences.
The continued concern by the Iranian government relating to the spread of outside information within the
country remains at the fore and the regime has pressed ahead with the creation of a separate internet
network for domestic use only. Plans for the Iran National Internet Network (ININ) were approved by the
Iranian cabinet in May 2007, and the June 2009 presidential election, in which the internet disseminated
news and images, convinced the authorities that they urgently needed their own, controllable version of
the web. A further reason to launch a domestic ‘intranet’ the government argues is based on national
security. The country’s internet traffic is routed through global networks, which generally travel through
the US before reaching Iran. Meanwhile, also arguing in favour of a domestic network is that it would
make internet service cheaper allowing for faster internet speed through increased bandwidth. Already
over the last four years, Iran’s government has transferred the hosting of most official websites to
domestic servers.
In April 2012, Fars news agency quoted Reza Taghipour, the Iranian ICT minister, as saying that the first
phase of the halal network would be launched by May 21. Taghipour added that a local datacentre, search
engine and domestic e-mail service will complement the domestic internet network, which will restrict
content that is not viable to Islamic culture.

Business Environment
MENA
Table: MENA Telecoms Risk/Reward Ratings Q312
Rewards Risks Overview
Industry Country Industry Country Telecoms

Country Rewards Rewards Risks Risk Rating Regional Rank Previous Rank
Israel 52.5 90.0 80.0 64.5 67.6 1 1
Saudi Arabia 60.5 66.0 60.0 68.8 63.0 2 2
Kuwait 49.5 81.0 30.0 71.2 57.5 3 3
Qatar 41.3 75.0 60.0 73.5 57.2 4 4
UAE 41.3 75.0 30.0 66.4 51.6 5 5
Oman 40.0 63.0 50.0 67.4 51.2 6 6
Morocco 45.0 53.3 65.0 44.2 50.0 7 7
Iraq 47.5 60.0 50.0 36.1 49.2 8 9
Bahrain 38.5 63.0 40.0 64.1 48.6 9 8
Jordan 42.5 60.0 50.0 44.3 48.2 10 10
Egypt 47.5 40.3 50.0 45.4 45.8 11 11
Tunisia 42.5 56.7 40.0 38.6 43.0 12 12
Algeria 35.0 53.0 30.0 54.9 41.6 13 13
Iran 42.5 49.7 20.0 40.6 40.6 14 14
Libya 32.5 66.7 10.0 50.4 40.2 15 15
Scores are weighted as follows: 'Rewards': 70%, of which Industry Rewards 65% and Country Rewards 35%; 'Risks': 30%, of which
Industry Risks 40% and Country Risks 60%. The 'Rewards' rating evaluates the size and growth potential of a telecoms market in
any given state, and a country's broader economic/socio-demographic characteristics that impact the industry's development; the
'Risks' rating evaluates industry specific dangers and those emanating from the state's political/economic profile, based on BMI's
proprietary Country Risk Ratings that could affect the realisation of anticipated returns. Source: BMI

Iran
Iran retained 14th place in BMI’s Risk/Reward ratings for the Middle East And North Africa (MENA)
region, ahead of Libya at the bottom of the table. Its Country Risk score has been downgraded in light of
the weak macroeconomic backdrop and is now second only to Iraq with the lowest score in the region.
BMI has revised down our real GDP growth forecasts and now projects the economy will contract by
1.6% in FY2012/13 and 0.3% in FY2013/14. Added to this, the Iranian banking system is in crisis.
Spiralling inflation above 20%, collapsing confidence in the rial and a foreboding macroeconomic
outlook have seen the sector’s domestic sources of financing dry up rapidly, while international sanctions
have left it virtually cut off from the global financial system.
Iran’s Industry Rewards score, the most heavily weighted score in the Risk/Reward Ratings, remains
unchanged this quarter following a sharp reduction in the Q212 report. While not the lowest in the region,
the low penetration rates in the broadband sector, high bandwidth costs and significant degree of state
control over all sectors of the country’s telecom market all drag on Iran’s score. The imposition of more
stringent set of international sanctions on the regime in late 2011 do little to improve the long-term
situation, with China’s Huawei announcing in December 2011 that it would no longer look for new
customers in the country and while Malaysia’s Axiata ready to exit the market.
In the Country Rewards category, Iran continues to have the second-lowest score in the region after Egypt
and considerably below the regional average. In its favour is a large and relatively young population,
which offers telecoms service providers a sizeable potential market. On the downside, although Iran’s
economy is growing, the growth rates are not outstanding and the economy remains dependent on sectors
such as oil. Meanwhile, GDP per capita rates are also low, with the population’s comparatively low
spending power tending to favour cheap tariffs. Spending on telecoms services has been and is expected
to continue to be hit by an ongoing reduction in subsidy cuts on utilities and fuel, and a steady rise in
consumer prices. Furthermore, by regional standards, a relatively large number of Iranians live in smaller
towns and cities, which tends to slow the speed at which new technologies and services can be deployed
and marketed.
Iran has one of the lowest Industry Risks score in the MENA region, with only Libya receiving a lower
score in this category. Although Iran has partially liberalised its telecoms sector, the fixed-line market
remains a monopoly under the controlling influence of the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology (MICT) and there is no sign that an independent regulator will be created any time soon.
Although the privatisation of incumbent operator TCI eventually took place in 2008, the controlling stake
is owned by an Iranian entity thought to be owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Meanwhile,
despite there being a large number of privately owned ISPs operating within the country, the internet
sector is characterised by high levels of government control and the government is pushing ahead with a
national internet network that will bypass the World Wide Web in order to ‘create an internet that

conforms to Islamic principles.’ The first phase of the Iran National Internet Network is expected to come
online in late May 2012. In the mobile market, BMI had hoped that the sale of Axiata’s 49% stake in
MTCE could present an opportunity for one of Iran’s smaller mobile operators to expand their market
shares and network reach or attract a new company to the Iranian market, thereby stimulating price
competition and service innovation. However, it now seems likely that the company will remain operating
in Esfehan province only. International sanctions against Iran, the continued state dominance of all
sectors of the telecoms market and the difficulties faced by international investors in the country are all
likely to act as deterrents to potential foreign investors.
Meanwhile, we believe Iran is undergoing a period of political, economic and social tension, and do not
believe the present situation will be sustainable. The long-term power struggle between President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has intensified, and another
political battle is being waged between Ahmadinejad and parliament. These power struggles highlight the
competing ideologies of religion in Iran, with the supreme leader and clerical establishment supporting
the existing theocratic system while others are promoting the emergence of a more nationalistic polity.
Although Iran’s Islamic regime has proved resilient in the face of tremendous domestic and external
pressure, we believe it cannot continue indefinitely. Consequently, we expect to see a regime change by
2020, either through gradual reform or a popular uprising.

Regulatory Environment
Table: Iran’s Regulatory Bodies And Their Responsibilities
Regulatory Body Responsibilities
Ministry of ICT Overseeing the implementation of the information and communication technology
(ICT) national development plan.
Dr Ali Shariati Avenue
Tehran Drafting national telecommunications policy.
Iran 1631713461
Drafting and implementing amendments to existing legislation or new laws, as
Tel: +9821 811 3355 necessary.
Fax: +9821 811 3926
Web: www.ict.gov.ir Issuing licences, concessions and general authorisations.
Mediating interconnection agreements between operators, where relevant.

Regulating tariffs for dominant operators and establishment of calculations for
setting prices for other operators.
Monitoring of frequencies and interference with use of the frequency spectrum.

Cooperation with government and state security organisations on issues relating to
wireless activities.
Legislation And Market Liberalisation

Iran has partially liberalised its telecoms sector, with the presence of competition and numerous private
sector operators in the mobile telephony, data services and internet sectors. In contrast, the fixed-line
market remains a monopoly under the controlling influence of the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology (MICT).
In December 1999, Iran’s majlis, or parliament, approved Article 122 of the ‘third five-year economic
plan,’ which gave wider powers to the MICT (which at the time was called the Ministry of Post Telegraph
and Telephone). In accordance with Article 122, the ministry was granted powers to authorise private
sector companies looking to establish communications networks in Iran. These included companies
seeking to set up mobile phone networks, low capacity telephone exchanges (with up to 5,000 numbers),
data transfer networks, value-added service networks, rural communication networks, postal networks
and postal transport networks. Article 122 further allowed the MICT to license private and co-operative
telecoms companies to set up communications networks in areas in which no such networks were offered
by government-owned companies. In addition to removing government monopoly control over the
provision of telecoms services, Article 122 of Iran’s Third Five-Year Plan established the foundations for
increased public participation and foreign investment in the country’s telecoms sector, and for the
eventual creation of an independent regulatory body.

In 2007, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei requested that government officials speed up
implementation of the policies outlined in the amendment of Article 44 of the country’s constitution and
move towards further economic privatisation (the pre-amended Article 44 of the constitution had decreed
that core infrastructure should remain state run). Khamenei also suggested that ownership rights should be
protected in courts set up by the justice ministry in the hope that this new protection would give an
additional measure of security and encourage private investment.

Appendix: Telecoms Business Environment Ratings

Risk/Reward Ratings Methodology
BMI’s approach in assessing the risk/reward balance for Telecoms Industry investors globally is fourfold.
First, we identify factors (in terms of current industry/country trends and forecast industry/country
growth) that represent opportunities to would-be investors. Second, we identify country and industry-
specific traits that pose or could pose operational risks to would-be investors. Third, we attempt, where
possible, to identify objective indicators that may serve as proxies for issues/trends to avoid subjectivity.
Finally, we use BMI’s proprietary Country Risk Ratings (CRR) in a nuanced manner to ensure that only
the aspects most relevant to the Telecoms Industry are incorporated. Overall, the system offers an
industry-leading, comparative insight into the opportunities/risks for companies across the globe.
Ratings System
Conceptually, the ratings system divides into two distinct areas:
Rewards: evaluation of sector’s size and growth potential in each state, and also broader
industry/state characteristics that may inhibit its development, such as the broader
economic/socio-demographic environment.
Risks: evaluation of industry-specific dangers (regulatory and competitive issues) and those
emanating from the state’s political/economic profile that call into question the likelihood of
anticipated returns being realised over the assessed time period.
Indicators
The following indicators have been used. Overall, the rating uses three subjectively measured indicators,
and around 20 separate indicators/datasets.

Table: Ratings Indicators
Indicator Rationale
Rewards
Industry rewards
ARPU Denotes depth of telecoms market. High-value markets score better than low-value ones.
No. of subscribers Denotes breadth of telecoms market. Large markets score higher than smaller ones.
Subscriber growth, Denotes sector dynamism. Scores based on annual average growth over our five-year forecast
% y-o-y period and also take into account the penetration rate.
Subjective evaluation against BMI-defined criteria. Evaluates market openness and

No. of operators competitiveness.
Overall market structure score also affected by telecoms sector tax rate and, where relevant, broader security issues.
Country rewards
A highly urbanised state facilitates network roll-out and implies higher wealth. Pre-dominantly
Urban/rural split rural states score lower, with overall score also affected by country size.
Proportion of population under 24 years old. States with young populations tend to be more
Age range attractive markets.
GDP per capita, US$ A proxy for wealth. High income states receive better scores than low income states.
The overall score for country structure is also affected by the power transmission network’s national coverage.
Risks
Industry risks
Regulatory Subjective evaluation against BMI-defined criteria. Evaluates predictability of operating

independence environment.
Country risks
Short-term external Rating from BMI’s Country Risk Ratings (CRR). Denotes state’s vulnerability to externally
risk induced economic shock, which tend to be the principal triggers of economic crises.
Policy continuity From CRR. Evaluates the risk of a sharp change in the broad direction of government policy.
From CRR. Denotes strength of legal institutions in each state – security of investment can be
Legal framework a key risk in some emerging markets.
From CRR. Denotes risk of additional illegal costs/possibility of opacity in tendering/business

Corruption operations affecting companies’ ability to compete.
Source: BMI

Weighting
Given the number of indicators/datasets used, it would be inappropriate to give all sub-components equal
weight. Consequently, the following weighting has been adopted.
Table: Weighting Of Indicators
Component Weighting, %
Rewards 70, of which
– Industry rewards 65
– Country rewards 35
Risks 30, of which
– Industry risks 40
– Country risks 60
Source: BMI

MTN Irancell: Iran: Company Profile Report

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2012

MTN IRANCELL: IRAN

Published by Business Monitor International Ltd.

Part of BMI's Industry Report & Forecasts Series

Published by: Business Monitor International

Copy deadline: June 2012

Business Monitor International © 2012 Business Monitor International.

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 2

Company Profile ............................................................................................................................................... 6

Company Performance And KPI’s .................................................................................................................. 9

Performance In Pictures ................................................................................................................................ 10

Market Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Business Environment .................................................................................................................................. 24

Appendix: Telecoms Business Environment Ratings................................................................................ 29

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 3

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 4

 Tel: +98 935 160 0000

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 5

 Blended ARPU has been stable in recent quarters.

 First to market with GPRS and MMS services.

Weaknesses  Subscriber base is understood to be highly dependent on prepaid customers.

 MMS business faces government censoring and filtering.

 US embargo puts limits on potential network equipment partners.

 Continuing network roll-out programme is expected to have a positive effect on future

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 6

 Underdeveloped legal and judicial environment could pose challenges.

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 7

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 8

Company Performance And KPI’s

Table: MTN Irancell Key Performance Indicators, 2009-2011

Dec-09 Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11

Subscriber Numbers ('000)

Market share of net

Source: operator results, BMI

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 9

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 10

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 11

Iran Mobile SWOT

 Continuing network expansion programmes of Iran’s leading operators should have

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 12

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 13

Table: Iran – Mobile Market December 2011

Operator No. of subscribers (‘000) Market share (%)

MCI (e) 40,843 53.5

MTN Irancell 34,681 45.4

Taliya (e) 835 1.1

MTCE (e) 18 0.0

TKC (e) 8 0.0

Total 76,387 100.0

e = estimate. Source: Operators; BMI

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 14

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 15

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 16

Mobile Contract Wins

Table: Mobile Contract Wins

na = not available. Source: BMI

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 17

During 2008, TCI added another Source: TCI

© Business Monitor International Ltd Page 18

Tel: +98 935 160 0000

Blended ARPU has been stable in recent quarters.

First to market with GPRS and MMS services.

Weaknesses Subscriber base is understood to be highly dependent on prepaid customers.

MMS business faces government censoring and filtering.

US embargo puts limits on potential network equipment partners.

Continuing network roll-out programme is expected to have a positive effect on future

Underdeveloped legal and judicial environment could pose challenges.

Continuing network expansion programmes of Iran’s leading operators should have