According to data released by the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, in the past fiscal mobile phones worth $529 million were imported.
The main source of imports was the United Arab Emirates with 73% share followed by China with 17% and South Korea 9%.
Data provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration shows in fiscal 2017-18 more than 3.22 million mobile phones worth $518.2 million were imported. The average price of a handset was put at $160, Financial Tribune reported.
Data provided by Statistical Center of Iran shows on average households annually spend 732,000 rials ($18) for purchasing handsets. There are 24.1 million households in the country. Purchasing mobile phones has a 0.3% share in the annual household expenditure.
Every Iranian on average spends 222,000 rials ($5.5) on buying a new handset every year. As per available information the population is 81 million.
Data provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration shows that in fiscal 2017-18, close to 3.22 million mobile phones worth $518 million were imported. Average price of the handsets then was $160
Urban vs. Rural
Those living in urban areas spend more money on mobile phones compared to the rural folks. City dwellers spent 15.27 trillion rials ($377.5 million) on mobile phones in the last fiscal.
In annual terms each household in urban areas annually spends 843,000 rials ($20.8) for purchasing a handset. In other words, buying handsets has a 0.31% share in annual household spending in the big cities. There are 18.1 million urban households in Iran.
Each individual living in cities on average spends 258,000 rials ($6.3) for buying a new cellphone. An estimated 60 million people live in urban areas.
In rural areas, mobile phones worth 2.45 trillion rials ($60.56 million) were sold during the past fiscal that ended in March 2018.
Each household’s average annual spending on mobile phones declines to 404,000 rials ($9.9) in rural areas. In other words, buying handsets has a 0.26% share in annual rural household spending.
In these areas, on average each individual spends 118,000 rials ($2.9) for buying a handset every year.
Data provided by the Central Bank of Iran indicates that by March 2018, there was at least one cellphone in 96.6% of households. A decade earlier the mobile phone penetration rate was 80.9%.
Households in urban areas spent an average of 330 million rials ($8,146) in the last fiscal (March 2017-18), the Statistical Center of Iran says. The average yrarly expenditure of rural households was 178 million rials ($4,419).
(The USD in this report is converted at its average worth in fiscal 2017-18, which was 40,450 rials)