Iran expecting 5G launch by early September

Iran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology has requested the country’s largest cellular operator, state-backed Mobile Communication Company of Iran (MCI), to launch a 5G network in parts of Tehran by early September. Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi is quoted by IFP News as saying that he is expecting a 5G test lab to be in operation within two weeks and a live network to be up and running in at least five areas of the capital in August or early September. A wider 5G launch is currently impossible, however, because crucial spectrum is currently in the hands of national TV network Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). MCI, known locally as Hamrah-e Avval (first operator), is the largest cellco in the Middle East in terms of subscribers.