On May 25 of this year Iran inaugurated a $2.3 million fiber-optic cableplant in the city of Karaj, near the capital, Tehran. The plant iscurrently operating with a 50 to 60 percent capacity that will increasein the coming two years.
An official of the Energy Ministry claims that the plant, described asthe first of its kind in the Middle East, has a production capacity of1,000 km of cables per year, and relies on raw materials produced in Iranand others imported from abroad.
The price of one meter of cables produced by the plant is put at between$8 and $10 in world market while its price locally does not exceed$3.70 per meter, according to published reports.