Rightel

Native name	رایتل
Company type	Private (subsidiary)
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	2011 (2011)
Headquarters	Tehran, Iran
Key people	Mohammad Mahdi Otoufi (CEO)
Products	Mobile telephony, Mobile broadband
Parent	Social Security Organization
Website	rightel.ir/en

RighTel is an Iranian mobile network operator and the third operator to enter the country’s telecommunications market. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Social Security Organization (SSO), operating through its investment holding, the Social Security Investment Company (Shasta).

As of 2025, RighTel remains the third-largest mobile operator in Iran by subscriber base, after Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran (MCI) and MTN Irancell.

RighTel was established in 2011 and launched commercial services in 2012. Upon its market entry, the Communications Regulatory Authority granted the company an exclusive licence to provide 3G mobile services nationwide. At the time, incumbent operators MCI and Irancell were limited to 2G technologies such as GPRS and EDGE.

The exclusivity period generated public and political debate, particularly among cultural and regulatory bodies. The licence expired in late 2014, after which competing operators were permitted to deploy 3G and later 4G networks, intensifying competition in Iran’s mobile telecommunications sector.

In October 2016, following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the easing of certain international sanctions, RighTel announced a roaming agreement with the American telecommunications company AT&T. The agreement enabled bidirectional voice and data roaming, marking the first time United States mobile subscribers could roam on an Iranian network since 1979.[1]

In 2025, RighTel announced the launch of limited commercial 5G services. The rollout was presented at the ELECOMP technology exhibition in Tehran and initially focused on pilot projects, enterprise use cases, and selected urban areas of the capital.[2]

RighTel is owned by the Social Security Organization, one of Iran’s largest state-linked institutional investors. The company is managed through the Social Security Investment Company (Shasta).

In late 2025, Shasta announced plans to divest its stake in RighTel via a public auction, citing government policies aimed at reducing direct involvement of pension funds in non-core commercial sectors.[3]

In February 2024, Mohammad Mahdi Otoufi was appointed chief executive officer, succeeding Yaser Rezakhah.[4]

RighTel operates its own radio access network supporting 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G technologies. Its direct network coverage is concentrated in major population centres, including Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Gorgan.

To provide nationwide service beyond its proprietary network footprint, RighTel maintains national roaming agreements with MCI and MTN Irancell. These arrangements allow subscribers to access services in rural and less densely populated regions where RighTel does not maintain infrastructure.

RighTel provides prepaid and postpaid voice and mobile data services. In 2023, it became the first Iranian mobile operator to introduce eSIM services for foreign visitors, allowing activation without a physical SIM card.[5]

The company has also introduced co-branded SIM products, including fan-themed offerings in cooperation with Iranian sports clubs such as Esteghlal F.C..

• Communications in Iran
• Mobile Telecommunication Company of Iran
• MTN Irancell
• Social Security Organization (Iran)

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