Iran is close to awarding 5G-suitable spectrum in the 3.7GHz-3.8GHz band, Eisa Zarepour, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology has revealed. The plan was communicated to the Iranian Student News Agency at a national 5G conference in Tehran this week. 3G and 4G coverage is available to 93% of the population, the minister noted, while 5G should be available to 10% of the population by 2025.

A separate article by the Islamic Republic News Agency quotes Amir Lajevardi, the head of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) as saying that the total number of 5G base stations should rise from a current figure of 800 to 1,200 by 19 March 2024 (i.e. the end of the current Iranian calendar year), and 4,000 by March 2025. The rollout targets were disclosed at the same 5G event in Tehran.