The Minister of Information and Communications Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi said that digital economy is the driver of Iran’s growth and transformation, stressing the role of private sector in the ICT projects.
He made the remarks on Monday at the Hamedan Provincial
Administrative Council and in a meeting with the academics, elites, and ICT
Stakeholders during a visit to the western province.
“If someone asked us today which are the world’s largest
companies, our minds would no longer turn to automobile manufacturers. Instead,
we would think of companies that we interact with in our daily lives.”
Stating that
the digital economy is gradually becoming the main axis of businesses and
services around the world, he added, “Developing this sector can pave the way
for greater productivity, employment, and innovation in the country.”
He also stressed paying serious attention to communications
infrastructure and to strengthen the content production ecosystem as essential
complements to the digital economy.
The ICT Minister inaugurated 101 ICT development projects in
Hamedan Province with an investment value of US dollars 8.5 million.
“Expanding fiber-optic infrastructure, extending
fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, and improving rural communications
coverage are the three main components of these projects,” Hashemi said.
Content Production: A Strategic Obligation
The Minister described the establishment of a Digital Economy
Development Center focused on content production in Hamedan Province as one of
the positive outcomes of the visit and expressed hope that the model would be
replicated in other provinces.
Referring to the heavy responsibilities borne by the ICT Ministry
during the imposed Israel-US war against Iran, he described the resilience of
the country’s communications network as one of the period’s most important
achievements.
“Services delivered through the country’s capillary
communications network continued uninterrupted nationwide, and this resilience
was the result of coordinated cooperation among all agencies and institutions.”
Also speaking at the meeting with the ICT stakeholders, Hashemi
noted that cybersecurity is an essential requirement for the development of the
digital economy.
He said that the expansion of communications infrastructure,
the removal of barriers to investment, the strengthening of cybersecurity, the
broader application of artificial intelligence, and the transformation of
Hamedan Province into a technology export hub for western Iran as ICT Ministry’s
top priorities.
Addressing concerns raised by ICT stakeholders regarding the
concentration of digital activities in only a few cities, Hashemi said, “Hamedan
possesses the capacity to play an effective role in this field and ICT Ministry
supports the development of these capacities.”
Private Sector Investment in AI
Hashemi also announced the government’s approval of a
framework for expanding AI users and said, “Developing the country’s computing
infrastructure is not possible without private-sector participation, and the
conditions for investment in this field must be created.”
“Because private-sector participation has been limited, some
of these capacities have not yet been fully utilized. Future infrastructure
should therefore be made available to all executive agencies through the
Government Cloud.”
The Minister termed investment and productivity as the two
main drivers of economic growth and stated, “A significant portion of
productivity growth in today’s economy is achieved through the development of
emerging technologies and the digital economy.”
Hashemi expressed the ICT Ministry’s readiness to support the
transformation of Hamedan Province into a hub for the export of technical,
engineering, and technology services in western Iran.
“If the province submits a clear plan, the ICT Ministry will
support its implementation.”
Space Services for Businesses
Referring to the plans of the Iranian Space Research Center,
the Minister said: “A mechanism has been designed to make satellite imaging
services available to private-sector companies.”
Hashemi also announced that the framework of the Smart
Government Roadmap had been finalized in cooperation with the Iran Information
Technology Organization and the Municipalities Organization.
“This document will be published soon. In addition, a
memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Ministry of Interior,
City Bank, and the Information Technology Organization to develop cloud
infrastructure for underserved cities.”
Fiber-Optic Development in Hamedan
Referring to reports concerning obstacles to issuing permits
for the expansion of fiber-optic networks in Hamedan Province, the Minister said,
“These obstacles must be reviewed and resolved through provincial working
groups.”
“The extent to which the people of Hamedan are using the
fiber-optic network is not proportionate to the scale of the investments that
have been made, and planning is needed to increase the utilization rate of this
infrastructure.”