Iran’s 5G in the Wings

EghtesadOnline: Iran took a major stride toward launching its 5G network on Wednesday by inaugurating the country’s first 5G cell tower in Tehran.

News ID: ۷۵۰۵۲۱

25 July 2020

While overseeing the event via videoconference, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the importance of 5G in digital economy and said, “A 5G network will be rolled out in Tehran next week.”

ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi was absent during the videoconference. In fact, he has been uncharacteristically silent over the past few weeks.

Jahromi is an avid social media user and always hogs the limelight during tech events. His absence in an event, which could have marked one of the main achievements of his ministry, surprised social media users.

According to the ICT Ministry, the 5G development program has been developed by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology in collaboration with mobile operator MTN-Irancell and.

It is speculated that Chinese Huawei Technologies Company provided Irancell or the ICT Ministry with 5G equipment. This is while almost all western nations are shutting their networks to Huawei amid reports that Huawei-made equipment could pose security risks.

Iran’s Earlier 5G Efforts

Iran’s second largest mobile operator, MTN-Irancell, and Sweden’s Ericsson jointly conducted a test of 5G connection in Tehran in September 2017.

The transmission systems, which were as big as two conventional washing machines, were provided by Ericsson.

During the test, a 4K video was transmitted using 5G technology in a few milliseconds. 4K refers to a horizontal resolution in the order of 4,000 pixels. Transferring a file with 4K resolution takes more than few minutes using the conventional 4G communication technology.

Irancell and Ericsson had an agreement for the development and expansion of the fifth generation of wireless networks in Iran. However, reimposition of US sanctions in 2018 killed those plans.

The introduction of 5G will be seen as a game-changer. It is expected to significantly improve end-user experience and usher in a new era in telecom industries. 5G will be significantly faster than 4G, allowing for higher productivity across all capable devices with a theoretical download speed of 10,000 Mbps.

The technology will significantly help reduce power consumption. One of the difficulties that industries, especially those relying on remote sensing and remote controlling systems, are facing is the short lifespan of batteries and the need to recharge the devices at short intervals.

As the 5G technology is expected to reduce power consumption in a notable manner, the sensors used in ‘smart farms’ or ‘smart cities’ will not require recharging frequently. The devices can also be supplied with small solar panel generators without the need for too much space.