The ministry of communications and information technology is planning to replace the current Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) with Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) --the latest version of the Internet Protocol (IP), said the ICT minister.
“Once the current IPv4 is replaced by IPv6, it will create a great change in our country,” said Mahmoud Vaezi on the occasion of the anniversary of establishment of Information Technology Organization.
He also underlined the main mission of the organization as to create a platform for sustainable development, expansion of social justice, and facilitating the citizens’ access to electronic services.
Communication industries, since their entry into the country, have undergone dramatic transformations, the minister said. “Two major transformations have happened in our communication industry: once the transformation from analog to digital systems, and again a transformation from digital to IP communications.”
Among other plans of the ministry, Vaezi referred to a developing plan of domestic software.
The “Hope and Prudent” government has committed itself to a number of important missions in the field of information technologies since it took office, said Vaezi. The most important ones, according to him, include devising a conceptual model for national information network; developing the e-government plan; and developing electronic infrastructures in the health, training, and commerce subsectors.
The minister also asserted that his organization is planning to create 30,000 job opportunities in IT related fields.
Ups and Downs
More than nine years ago, when former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad first took office, the administration announced plans to develop a “national Internet network.”
Although the project attracted little attention at the time, during Ahmadinejad’s second term in office, discussions over implementing the project were heated up by former ITC officials.
The issue raised serious concerns among ordinary people as well as IT professionals. Critics generally said it would seal the country off from the World Wide Web.
People were worried about possible limitations the new system could cause. Families argued that they could lose touch with their children abroad, as nowadays most communications are conducted via the internet as it costs less.
The former minister claimed the new network would not restrict access to the web. However, IT experts argued that in 10 years or so Iranians would eventually fall far behind the world regarding the communication infrastructure as the government would stop investing on the sector anyhow.
The current minister of ICT, though, has strongly rejected the idea. He is now assuring that significant developments are being planned to upgrade the sector’s infrastructure.
According to the latest data, Iran had the highest proportion of internet users in the Middle East in 2013 (InternetWorldStats.com), with 45 million internet users comprising over 55% of the population.
