What Setare Aval | ستاره اول does

Setare Aval (legal entity: Setare Derakhshan Hamrah Kish Company) is a Tehran-based private telecom services company founded in 2015 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hamrah-e Aval (Iran Mobile Communication Company), Iran's largest mobile operator. The company operates proprietary multi-channel digital distribution infrastructure — including the cross-operator USSD short code #1*, the SetareYek super-app, the *100 IVR voice system, the Rondtarin online premium-SIM auction platform, and a B2B enterprise product suite — to serve Iranian mobile subscribers across all three licensed operators (Hamrah-e Aval, Irancell, and Rightel). It addresses a stated addressable market of 68 million customers with digital recharge, bill payment, SIM card sales, installment purchasing, and ancillary lifestyle services. The company holds Knowledge-Based Company certification from Iran's Vice Presidency for Science and Technology (2019).

The underlying technology stack is built around a USSD command-code platform integrated with all three Iranian MNOs, a mobile super-app (SetareYek) consolidating telecom and non-telecom services under a shared loyalty/points and prize-drawing layer, an IVR voice channel, and a dedicated e-commerce platform for premium SIM auctions. Revenue is generated exclusively through transaction fees and commissions on airtime/data sales, utility bill payments, SIM card transactions, flight ticket sales, consumer installment loans, and customized B2B telecom/technology solutions — there is no subscription or SaaS pricing model in the disclosed data. The go-to-market is product-led growth delivered through self-serve digital channels with no physical retail footprint; customer segments are mass-market individual consumers across Iran, plus a smaller B2B/organizational segment served directly.

The company has been ranked first in productivity among Iran's top 100 IT companies for three consecutive years through 2024 and was named the most profitable company within the Hamrah-e Aval group in 2021. Its strategic evolution shows steady product and channel expansion: USSD on Hamrah-e Aval (2015), Rondtarin (2016), SetareYek app (2018), Irancell coverage (2019), and Rightel coverage (2022). The five-member board is led by Chairman Reza Sobhani Motlagh and CEO Abbas Lotfalian, with three additional board members. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or international expansion are disclosed; the business remains Iran-domestic only and is structurally dependent on its parent operator relationship.

Name

Setare Aval | ستاره اول

Legal name

شرکت ستاره درخشان همراه کیش (Setare Derakhshan Hamrah Kish Company)

Website

https://setareaval.ir

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Setare Aval is a Tehran-based telecom services subsidiary of Hamrah-e Aval that operates a cross-operator USSD platform (#1*), the SetareYek super-app, an IVR voice system, and a SIM auction portal to deliver airtime, bill payment, installment, and lifestyle services to Iran's 68 million mobile subscribers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecom Value-Added Services

NAICS

Telephone Call Centers (56142), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Service Desk & Help Desk Services (BPAEAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Helpdesk & End-User Support Services (BPAEABAB)

Keywords

• Telecom value-added services
• Mobile airtime top-up
• USSD payment platform
• Digital bill payment
• SIM card distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Tehran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Airtime and Internet Package Sales: Revenue from selling mobile airtime credit and data packages across all three Iranian operators through USSD, app, and IVR channels. Primary revenue stream serving the 68 million customer base.
2. Bill Payment Services: Commission revenue from facilitating payment of various utility and service bills through Setare Yek app and USSD channels.
3. SIM Card Sales: Revenue from selling mobile SIM cards including premium/round numbers via the Rondtarin platform, with nationwide home delivery.
4. Airline Ticket Sales: Commission revenue from selling flight tickets through the Setare Yek super-app platform.
5. Installment Purchasing (وام خرید کالا): Revenue from providing consumer installment/purchase loans for goods through the Setare Yek platform.
6. Organizational/B2B Products: Customized telecom and technology products and services sold to businesses and organizations, leveraging the company's technical expertise and platform capabilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Setare Aval is an Iranian telecom value-added services company that provides electronic mobile airtime top-ups, internet/data package sales, utility and telecom bill payments, mobile SIM card sales (including premium numbers), and ancillary services such as airline ticket sales and consumer installment purchasing. It delivers these services through a multi-operator USSD platform (#1*) active on all three major Iranian mobile operators (Hamrah-e Aval, Irancell, Rightel), the SetareYek super-app, the *100 IVR voice system, and the Rondtarin online SIM auction platform, serving a 68-million-customer base across Iran.

Product overview

Setare Aval operates a multi-product telecom services portfolio consisting of five main offerings: SetareYek (a super app for telecom services, payments, tourism, car services, and credit validation), the cross-operator USSD Code #1* (available on Hamrah-e Aval, Irancell, and Rightel), Enterprise Products (B2B solutions for organizations), Rondtarin (online premium SIM card auction platform), and *100 (dedicated credit and bill payment service for Hamrah-e Aval). The products share a common loyalty/points system and prize drawing mechanism, serving Iran's 68 million mobile subscribers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ستاره‌یک (Setare Yek): Super application providing comprehensive operator services, installment purchases, tourism services, automotive services, credit validation, and digital health services.
• کد دستوری #1* (USSD Code #1*)
• رندترین (Rondtarin)
• *100
• محصولات سازمانی (Enterprise Products)

Products and services

• SetareYek (ستاره‌یک) Super-App Mobile super-application for individual consumers providing comprehensive mobile operator services (airtime and data package purchases, bill payment), installment purchasing (وام خرید کالا), tourism services, automotive services, credit validation, digital health services, and a loyalty points program with prize drawings. Targets Iranian mobile subscribers seeking a one-stop digital services platform.
• USSD Code #1* (کد دستوری #1*) Cross-operator USSD short-code service active on all three major Iranian mobile operators (Hamrah-e Aval, Irancell, Rightel). Enables prepaid subscribers to purchase airtime credit, buy internet data packages, and pay utility/telecom bills directly from any mobile phone without requiring a smartphone or internet connection. Each transaction earns loyalty points eligible for prize drawings.
• Enterprise Products (محصولات سازمانی) B2B product suite for organizations and businesses, offering customized telecom and technology products and services — including interactive voice response and other business communication tools — designed to increase organizational productivity and improve experiences for employees and customers.
• Rondtarin (رندترین) Online auction platform for selling premium/round and zero (brand-new unused) Hamrah-e Aval mobile SIM card numbers at fair prices with nationwide home delivery, eliminating the need for in-person visits to acquire rare SIM numbers.
• *100 IVR Voice System Easy voice-based system allowing Hamrah-e Aval subscribers to purchase mobile airtime credit and pay bills via a phone call, with automatic entry into prize drawings. Designed for users who prefer or require voice-based interaction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68 million customers served nationwide across Iran
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hamrah-e Aval (همراه اول)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Setare Aval is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hamrah-e Aval, Iran's largest mobile operator. The company was established in 2015 (1394) specifically to serve Hamrah-e Aval's subscriber base, initially focusing on electronic airtime credit delivery. Hamrah-e Aval provides the foundational subscriber ecosystem and operational infrastructure that Setare Aval leverages to serve 68 million customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Hamrah-e Aval (MCI): Parent company of Setare Aval and Iran's largest mobile operator. Included as a contextual peer - the dominant telecom group providing the 68M subscriber base that Setare Aval monetizes through its USSD and app platforms.
• Irancell: Iran's second-largest mobile operator and competitor to parent Hamrah-e Aval. Listed as a peer because Setare Aval's #1* USSD runs on Irancell's network under partnership - relevant for understanding platform economics and dependency.

Broad incumbents

• MTN Group: Africa and Middle East mobile operator group with MoMo mobile money across multiple markets. Comparable as a telecom group with significant mobile money/fintech subsidiaries serving emerging-market subscribers via USSD and app channels - same operating model as Hamrah-e Aval/Setare Aval.
• Turkcell: Turkish mobile operator with Paycell mobile payments and BiP super-app. Comparable as an operator-led ecosystem spanning telecom, payments, and digital services across multiple countries; a structural analog to Hamrah-e Aval and Setare Aval.
• Safaricom (M-Pesa): Kenyan mobile operator with M-Pesa, the pioneering mobile money and merchant payment platform. Comparable as an operator-affiliated digital financial services business that evolved USSD-based mobile transactions into a full payment ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Ding: International mobile airtime/data top-up platform operating across 150+ countries. Closely comparable to Setare Aval's core USSD-based airtime and bill-payment business, providing a pure-play transaction-fee model benchmark.
• Snapp: Iranian super-app combining ride-hailing, food delivery, and digital payments. Directly comparable as an Iranian multi-service super-app targeting the same 68M mobile user base, with overlapping fintech ambitions (Snapp Pay) similar to Setare Aval's Setare Yek wallet and installment services.
• Careem: MENA super-app offering ride-hailing, food delivery, payments, and financial services. Comparable super-app business model that expanded from a single service into a multi-vertical platform - the same trajectory Setare Yek is pursuing across telecom, tourism, automotive, and health.
• Digikala: Iran's largest e-commerce platform operating a marketplace plus fintech (Digipay). Comparable as a digital consumer platform capturing transaction fees across multiple categories, mirroring Setare Aval's diversified super-app model in the same Iranian market.
• Tapsi: Iranian ride-hailing platform that expanded into food delivery and digital payments (Tapsi Pay). Comparable as a domestic super-app competitor targeting overlapping consumer use cases in Iran.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/setareaval

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Setare Aval | ستاره اول