Smart Cities is an idea integral to the future, where the Internet of Things will play a dominating role in the lives of citizens.
Iran’s Telecoms Minister Mahmoud Vaezi, addressing the issue at the World Conference of Mayors and Councilors, said almost all sovereign states are wrestling with a wide range of obstacles, from citizen’s welfare and cultural and social issues to transportation, fuel and energy consumption, air pollution and environmental degradation.
“These obstacles can only be tackled by plans based on scientific research and innovation,” he said.
Iran, with a population expected to reach 84 million by 2021, will not be an exception to the changes on the way.
Vaezi said the only possible way for managing vast modern urban areas with all their complexities is by establishing smart cities.
The city’s assets include—but are not limited to—schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement and other community services.
The telecoms minister listed science-based economic expansion, sustainable growth, smart governance and urban integrity as some of the essential elements in walking this path.
“Since the coming to power of [President Hassan] Rouhani administration, Iran’s Internet bandwidth has increased dramatically. All villages with over 20 households will have access to Internet by the end of our administration,” he said.
Vaezi noted that there is a legal gap in this area and regulations and legal boundaries should be defined.
At a previous Smart City Summit held in July 2015, a member of the board of directors at the government’s Information Technology Organization, said to encourage the development of smart cities, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is prepared to launch joint projects with Iranian municipalities in the areas of Internet of Things and Big Data.
Khosro Saljoughi added that IoT and Big Data are relatively new in Iran, which create a great opportunity for researchers, manufacturers and knowledge-based firms to operate in these areas, IRNA reported.
