The Iranian government has invested 2.07 trillion rials ($7.85 million) in the expansion of ICT infrastructure in the western province of Qazvin, making it a prototypical project of its kind.
ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi says that with state support, development projects have been launched to provide ICT services in Qazvin Province’s villages with over 20 households within six months, the ministry’s website reported.
“To achieve this objective, a total of 180 communication centers will be established in the province with an investment of 1.8 trillion rials [$6.83 million] to provide mobile network and internet coverage in underdeveloped areas,” he added.
Jahromi noted that an additional 270 billion rials ($1 million) have been earmarked for expansion of fiber optic network by 180 kilometers in the province.
“A similar project is underway in Qazvin to install 120 kilometers of fiber optic cables, over 80% of which have been implemented. With another 180 kilometers, cable-based communication capacity will significantly enhance,” he said.
“The projects will be carried out in two complementary phases spread over six months. The first part is scheduled to deliver results by late April.”
The ICT minister said the state-affiliated communications ombudsman, Telecommunications Company of Iran, is committed to streamlining landline telephony in the province and fixing the network bugs in 67 areas over four months.
In a meeting with provincial officials last week, Jahromi said that because of special geographic condition, communication services in rural areas of Qazvin are inadequate compared with the national average. He hoped that the projects will remove communication shortcomings.
The promotion of communication technologies makes life convenient for the public, especially during the pandemic.
“With over 113 million pupils, 1 million teachers, 4 million university students and 140,000 professors nationwide using online facilities for educational purpose, ICT development plays a pivotal role in everyday life of people,” he said.
“Internet and social media have become an inseparable part of commerce in today’s economy, since almost all small and large enterprises use different online platforms to expand their businesses.”
Underlining the fact that communication justice is a part of social justice, Jahromi said maximum effort has been made for expanding the country’s ICT infrastructures.
More Good News
ICT officials say more good news is in the offing about the development of rural communication and internet access by the end of the current fiscal year (March 20).
In South Khorasan Province, work is underway to connect 21 villages in Boshrouyeh County in the coming months.
Mostafa Behi, the head of the provincial ICT organization, told reporters that four ICT stations have been set up in Boshrouyeh to provide high-speed broadband internet for rural areas.
“The stations will become operational, as soon as they are equipped with the necessary gear,” he said.
Ladan Mahdavi, the head of Markazi ICT Organization, said provincial officials have announced that since 2013, the number of villages with internet connection has tripled and reached 1,082, accounting for 93% of all villages in the province.
As planned, she added, more areas are on the connection list for the current year.
The ICT Ministry is working to provide all villages with over 20 households with internet access by March 2021, which are in line with the ministry’s Universal Service Obligation Plan for providing broadband internet access to rural areas.
NIN’s Role
Officials attribute these developments to the establishment of the National Information Network launched in August 2016 as an alternative and independent network with content compatible with Islamic values to facilitate Iranian users’ access to indigenous content.
In December 2020, the ICT Ministry announced that it has established over 80% of the integrated network’s infrastructure through the expansion of fiber optic connections, establishment of communication stations and towers, and a surge in the number of data processing racks and data centers.
Deputy ICT Minister Hamid Fattahi said the completion of NIN will remove the deficiencies and poor quality of internet and mobile connections in rural areas.
He noted that the ICT Ministry has put maximum effort into boosting NIN’s performance by expanding the network’s data centers and data processing capacity.
In mid-September, the first phase of a major database was launched in Bumehen, east of Tehran, with an investment of 4 trillion rials ($15.18 million) by the Telecommunications Infrastructure Company.
The project is aimed at bolstering NIN, expanding the country’s communications infrastructure and materializing a digital economy.
