Iran’s Mobile Subscriber Growth Outpaces Fixed Broadband

The latest quarterly statistical bulletin from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority highlights Iran's communication sector performance during summer 2025. It shows an increase in mobile and mobile broadband subscribers, while fixed-line subscribers continue to decline. Despite widespread advertising and efforts by the Ministry of ICT, fixed broadband subscriptions have not significantly increased.

According to the report published by the regulator, the number of mobile subscribers in the country has grown by 5.47% compared to the same period last year, reaching 165,780,841. The mobile penetration rate also increased by 4.73%.

The growth rate for mobile broadband subscribers was also positive. Mobile broadband subscribers reached 121,818,850, marking a 3.57% increase compared to summer 2024. The mobile broadband penetration rate saw a 2.86% increase.

Fixed-Line Subscriber Decline

However, there is no upward trend in fixed-line and fixed broadband subscribers. The number of fixed-line subscribers fell by 2.33% compared to the same period last year. Fixed broadband subscriptions grew minimally by 0.02%. Meanwhile, the fixed broadband penetration rate decreased by 0.7%.

In the first quarter of the year, the number of households covered by fiber optics was 8,227,920. This increased to 8,709,087 in the second quarter. These figures show that despite efforts by the Ministry of ICT, fiber optic growth has not led to an increase in fixed internet subscribers. Furthermore, the summer report did not include fiber optic connection rates, only coverage statistics, despite promises from the Minister of ICT.

Technology Market Share

In the fixed broadband market share by technology type, X-DSL and TD-LTE remain leaders with 67% and 22%, respectively. The FTTH (fiber optic) user share remains unchanged at 7%.

The report indicates that mobile internet users continue to use 4G bands. The share of 5G internet remains low at 3%. However, it has shown a 50% increase compared to the previous spring report.

The market share of mobile broadband subscribers by operators remains unchanged. MCI leads with 54%, followed by Irancell with 42% and RighTel with 4%.

Network Quality and Public Telephones

An examination of network quality indicators in the summer of 2025 shows slight improvements compared to the previous period. The average round-trip time (RTT) for domestic fixed internet decreased from 20.05 to 19.86 milliseconds and from 77.79 to 76.1 milliseconds internationally.

For mobile internet, domestic RTT slightly increased from 34.95 to 35.65 milliseconds. International RTT changed from 95.31 to 95.86 milliseconds.

The average jitter rate for domestic fixed internet rose from 0.99 to 1.06 milliseconds and internationally from 1.31 to 1.34 milliseconds. For mobile internet, domestic jitter increased slightly from 6.77 to 6.99, while international jitter increased more significantly from 7.11 to 8.91 milliseconds.

These statistics indicate that despite some improvements, network quality fluctuations persist, requiring more attention.

According to the report, public telephones decreased from 56,698 last year to 52,294, a decline of 7.77%. There is a larger decrease (10.64%) in public telephones along roads.

Another section of this report highlights growth in the postal company. In the spring of 2025, total postal traffic was 80,233,484. This increased to 105,719,793 in the summer of 2025.