Internet in Iran
Internet usage in Iran continues to increase at a sharp rate. Over the past eight years,
the number of Internet users in Iran has growth at an average annual rate of approximately 48 percent, increasing from under 1 million Internet users in 2000 5 to around
23 million in 2008. 6 This rate of growth is higher than any other country in the Middle
East. Internet users now account for approximately 31.3 percent of the population of
Iran. This Internet penetration rate is considerably higher than the Middle East average
of 23 percent. 7
The Persian blogosphere has been heralded as one of the largest and most active in
the world. The number of active Persian blogs is estimated to be approximately
60,000—a formidable number of independent voices for a country accustomed to
tightly controlling the press. 8
Iranian Internet policies reflect a strong tension between the regulatory urge to reign
in free speech and the promotion of innovation and economic growth supported by
expanding access to information and communication technologies (ICT). Bolstered by
the strong growth in Internet penetration in Iran, Iran’s Fourth Five-Year Development
Plan called for enhanced broadband penetration, with 1.5 million high-speed Internet
connections nationwide. 9 However, in October 2006, the Ministry of Information and
Communications Technology (MICT) issued an order that appears to have been
designed to thwart household access to broadband Internet, forbidding ISPs from providing Internet connectivity to households and public Internet access points at speeds
greater than 128 Kbps. This policy, which restricts the ability of Internet users to download multimedia content, is likely intended to inhibit online alternative media sources
that might compete with the tightly controlled radio and television media in Iran and
to hinder access to alternative media sources. 10
At the time of this order, approximately 250,000 users had access to high-speed
Internet service, with demand continuing to grow. 11 Over the prior two years, 11 companies had been licensed to provide such high-speed services and had invested significant capital in importing the required machinery and setting up the required
infrastructure. These regulations on Internet access speed were met with intense opposition, including a campaign to overturn the policy by members of parliament. 12
Reports at the time suggested that the restrictions would be lifted once more effective
content control mechanisms were put into place. However, the ban on high-speed service for households and public access points remains in place, although universities
and private businesses are able to obtain high-speed broadband service. Before this
policy was enacted, fiber-optic networks had been expanding rapidly in Iran, more
than doubling from 2005 to 2007. 13 The growth of fiber-optic networks in Iran has
since dropped off precipitously. 14 Mohammad Soleimani, Minister of Information and
Communications, publicly defended the ceiling on access speeds and indicated that
Iran
547
Internet usage in Iran continues to increase at a sharp rate. Over the past eight years,
the number of Internet users in Iran has growth at an average annual rate of approximately 48 percent, increasing from under 1 million Internet users in 2000 5 to around
23 million in 2008. 6 This rate of growth is higher than any other country in the Middle
East. Internet users now account for approximately 31.3 percent of the population of
Iran. This Internet penetration rate is considerably higher than the Middle East average
of 23 percent. 7
The Persian blogosphere has been heralded as one of the largest and most active in
the world. The number of active Persian blogs is estimated to be approximately
60,000—a formidable number of independent voices for a country accustomed to
tightly controlling the press. 8
Iranian Internet policies reflect a strong tension between the regulatory urge to reign
in free speech and the promotion of innovation and economic growth supported by
expanding access to information and communication technologies (ICT). Bolstered by
the strong growth in Internet penetration in Iran, Iran’s Fourth Five-Year Development
Plan called for enhanced broadband penetration, with 1.5 million high-speed Internet
connections nationwide. 9 However, in October 2006, the Ministry of Information and
Communications Technology (MICT) issued an order that appears to have been
designed to thwart household access to broadband Internet, forbidding ISPs from providing Internet connectivity to households and public Internet access points at speeds
greater than 128 Kbps. This policy, which restricts the ability of Internet users to download multimedia content, is likely intended to inhibit online alternative media sources
that might compete with the tightly controlled radio and television media in Iran and
to hinder access to alternative media sources. 10
At the time of this order, approximately 250,000 users had access to high-speed
Internet service, with demand continuing to grow. 11 Over the prior two years, 11 companies had been licensed to provide such high-speed services and had invested significant capital in importing the required machinery and setting up the required
infrastructure. These regulations on Internet access speed were met with intense opposition, including a campaign to overturn the policy by members of parliament. 12
Reports at the time suggested that the restrictions would be lifted once more effective
content control mechanisms were put into place. However, the ban on high-speed service for households and public access points remains in place, although universities
and private businesses are able to obtain high-speed broadband service. Before this
policy was enacted, fiber-optic networks had been expanding rapidly in Iran, more
than doubling from 2005 to 2007. 13 The growth of fiber-optic networks in Iran has
since dropped off precipitously. 14 Mohammad Soleimani, Minister of Information and
Communications, publicly defended the ceiling on access speeds and indicated that
Iran
547