Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 24
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran’s internet bandwidth capacity has reached 10,000 gigabits per second, Mahmoud Vaezi, the Islamic Republic’s ICT minister, said.
The figure indicates a rise by about 1110 percent compared to 2013, Vaezi said, IRNA news agency reported Apr. 24.
He made the remarks during a ceremony to start laying of door-to-door fiber optic cable in Tehran city.
Vaezi also said that Iran’s active internet users currently amount to 43 million, registering a huge rise compared to 3.5 million users in 2013.
Since 2005, Iran has been developing its National Information Network to improve control over its content as well as speed. The project, which is separate from the World Wide Web, was scheduled to be completed by the end of the fifth five-year development plan (2011-15).
This network will be separated from the rest of the internet and is specifically for domestic use.
Authorities claim the national internet would not lead to a cut in internet access. But critics warn it could allow the government to cut off access to foreign sites, restricting access to information and preventing users from sharing information online.