On February 1, 1999 the Iranian Minister of Post, Telegraph and Telephone Dr. Mohammad Reza Aref signed a cooperation agreement with Italian Post and Telecommunications Minister Salvatore Cardinale to expand bilateral cooperation in telecommunications.
The two companies, TCI, and Italtel are to cooperate in areas relating to research and transfer of technology, production and export of various technical equipment as well as exchange of technical expertise. Telecommunication channels between the two countries are to increased, and joint work and research in fiber optics technology in particular was agreed upon.