Tehran, Jan 17, Taliya News – Offering free SIM cards can be practical only of the number of mobile phone subscribers in Iran would be 40 million.
Managing Director of Telecmmunicaitons of Iran (TCI) Company Saber Feyzi announcing the matter, added, “The ICT Ministry’s agenda does not include offering free SIM cards, but if the market would really become a competitive one, and the number of subscribers would exceed the 40 million level, like other countries, we too would begin delivering free SIM cards.”
On privatizing the TCI affiliated companies, he said, “The ICT Ministry has proposed the integration of all its affiliated companies to the government and the Privatizing Company in that respect and adopting the decision in that respect depends on the government.”
Feyzi added, “From the physical and practical point of the view we cannot separate those companies from one another when we intend to deliver them to the private sector.”
He added, “Currently there are some 6,000 share holders in those companies and the ICT Ministry owns only 35% of the Telecom Factories Company’s shares that would be privatized in form of ‘Justice Shares’ by the end of the current (Iranian) year (ending on March 20, 2007).