Internet Connections

Commercial Internet access is available through Internet service providers & Coffee-nets (Internet Cafes). Internet access is under fast development and business & residential highspeed service is under development. Below is the the information on some major ISPs in Iran. Only a few years ago, these were the ONLY internet service providers and now they one of hundreds.

Data Communication of Iran (DCI) provides Internet services for individual and legal entities. DCI provides Internet access throughout the country via the nationwide IRANPAK X.25 Packet Switching network, covering almost all major cities in Iran. The network was designed to handle some 20,000 subscribers. DCI is the only online service provider with a permit for supplying to the government agencies.

DCI is also in the process of establishing a VSAT link with GULFSAT in Kuwait (GULFSAT is the world's largest satellite data communications teleport. A VSAT hub, operated in association with GULFSAT, provides satellite-delivered international data, telephone and video communications services to local and international subscribers such as DCI). DCI provides both dial-up and leased lines to its users.

According to a DCI study, more than 92% of government and industrial entities are in need of wide area networks to communicate with their various branches and affiliates throughout Iran. Various large governmental organizations (National Iranian Oil Company, Iran Air, Budget and Planning Organization of Iran, and the Ministry of Energy) have, with DCI's help, set up such networks with outside access to various databanks. The other 10% of governmental and/or industrial organizations are projected to additionally have the need for full Internet access.

Neda Rayaneh Institute (NRI) is Iran's largest online service and Internet access provider. Neda.net can be accessed from abroad.
Neda's services include:

• Bilingual Persian/English email and cultural and information databases of various kinds.
• Internet email and ftp/www/news via email for users inside Iran.
• WWW service: Homepage design and rental services for Iranian corporations that want to have Internet presence.
  There is also a local Web service for users inside Iran. The local Web service will be connected to the World Wide Web, as soon as a high bandwidth line is provided for the country.

High Speed Services

Iran uses the European standards and for T1, E1 is used. It contains 36 high speed link cables. Nowadays, there is a big number of new Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and small internet cafes and their number is increasing fast every day. Please note these ISPs and Cafes use the high speed lines, but at the time of this update to Farhangsara there are no high speed providers in Iran.

Internet Hosts & Web Sites

The number of web sites in Iran is dramatically increasing from a few number of web sites such as Neda.net a few years ago to hundreds or even thousands of online service providers and company web sites. As the number of web sites and businesses wanting to have a web site increases so does the number of internet hosts and domain registrars.

There is also a great number of Iranian web sites abroad and some web sites designed in Iran which are available on servers abroad for faster public access from around the world.