TEHRAN – The value of Iran's import of mobile phones increased 117 percent in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-December 21) as compared to the last year’s corresponding period, an official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

According to Arezu Ghaniyoun, the deputy head of the IRICA Bureau of Customs Statistics and Information Processing, 13.061 million cellphones worth $2.942 billion were imported into the country in the mentioned period, which was also 42 percent higher than the previous year’s same period in terms of number.

As reported, cellphone importers had shipped in 9.165 million devices worth $1.353 billion in the previous year’s first nine months, which means the number of imported cellphones in the said period increased by 3.896 million.

Ghaniyoun noted that smartphone was Iran’s top imported commodity in the current fiscal year’s first nine months.

She mentioned, the coronavirus pandemic and consequently home officing and home education as the main reasons for the increase in the import of the mentioned product.

Iranian mobile phone traders imported 15.8 million smartphones over the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20, 2021), according to the Iranian Association of Cellphones, Tablet, and Accessories Importers.

With the implementation of Iran’s National Mobile Registry Plan back in October 2017, Iranians now must register all new mobile phones to be eligible for use in the country. This law is to fight smuggling phones to Iran. As a result, all people who want to use their phones for more than one month in the Islamic Republic will need to register their phones as a way to pay the customs fees.

In April 2021, the Iranian Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) had announced the launch of a five-year plan for the domestic production of 14 million cellphones and tablets.

According to the ministry, the mentioned program is going to create job opportunities for over 43,000 people and save the country over $1 billion during the said five years.

EF/MA