Broadband internet penetration rate has reached 94% while the services were only available in 22% of the country eight years ago, a deputy ICT minister said.
According to Amir Nazemi, who also heads the ministry’s Information Technology Organization, 81% of Iranians use the internet at least once a week, IRNA reported.
The figures show an outstanding progress in Iran’s ICT development since Hassan Rouhani began his first presidential term in 2013. This has been achieved through the ICT Ministry’s efforts for expanding and upgrading communication infrastructures throughout the country, especially in less developed areas,” he added.
Nazemi underlined the fact that extension of a service like internet depends both on infrastructure and content availability, “which means that internet access can be called extensive only when people from all walks of life can use the service in their everyday life”.
“In recent years, the International Telecommunications Union has ranked Iran among countries with high ICT development,” Nazemi said, adding that the achievement should be an incentive for officials to make their best efforts for maintaining and strengthening this status.
He added that broadband internet is increasingly intertwined with the daily functions of modern life, as it is supporting economic development initiatives, transforming agriculture, improving healthcare and upgrading transportation.
The Iranian state’s extensive investment in the development of ICT infrastructure in rural areas over the past few years has boosted their quality of life.
Providing a brief report on communication development earlier in October, President Rouhani said the number of rural areas with access to ICT services, especially internet, through the National Information Network, has reached 35,519.
This figure was 18,000 in 2017 and literally zero in 2013. NIN is an independent network whose content is locally accessible and compatible with Islamic values.
ICT Development Plans
ICT authorities say communication and internet access infrastructure will be further developed in rural areas by the end of the current fiscal year (March 2021).
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 ICT Organization in Markazi Province, said officials of the province 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 spots are on the connection list this year.
According to the Communications Regulatory Authority, the installation of 1,250 ATMs has facilitated micro banking services in rural areas.
These teller machines are expected to increase to 2,250 by the end of the current fiscal year.
CRA had reported that by June 21, the number of registered broadband internet subscriptions reached 82.6 million, 73.3 million of which used mobile internet connections and 9.2 million were connected to landline internet.
The data show internet service penetration rate has reached 98.33%, registering an 8.33% increase compared with the same day of last year.
The ICT Ministry plans to provide all villages with over 20 households with access to speedy connections by March 2021.
These efforts are in line with the Universal Service Obligation Plan, proposed by the ministry, for providing broadband internet access to rural areas.
Officials believe that increasing the access of users, corporations and organizations to the internet can increase economic productivity and promote social welfare. Internet access boosts traditional business activities and interactions via new strategies.
Rural craftsmen and farmers in Iran are now able to conduct their businesses through online platforms, directly interact with customers and exclude the role of middlemen.
The promotion of ICT in rural areas also helps build novel industries and businesses.
Online Education
The National Information Network has also prepared the ground to curb educational disparity and offer free education to all students through online platforms.
Utilizing the integrated ICT infrastructures, officials have connected all urban and rural schools with high-speed internet, giving the school students of all grades access to online education.
According to the ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, with the connection of 44,000 schools in less-developed rural areas to the educational network in early October, the number of schools with internet access has crossed 86,000.
“This prepares a strong ground for easing virtual education. The plan was expected to be completed by the end of last Iranian year [March 2020], but impediments in supplying equipment put off the work till the present,” he said.
At the beginning of the current school year, the president called on internet service providers and mobile network operators to provide free internet access to students.
Rouhani had said internet use should be free in the Education Ministry’s Shad application, which gives public schools a platform to connect teachers and students.
Rouhani stressed that no student should be left out of the education system, adding that state TV will also use its resources to grant learners access to educational content.
Speaking to reporters, Jahromi said the ICT Ministry is also designing a project to provide high-speed internet access to all universities by the current yearend.
According to the minister, the country has about 1,000 universities that will be connected to NIN via fiber optic.
Schools closed days after the coronavirus outbreak was detected in the then-epicenter of Qom, located in central parts of Iran.
The use of internet in the last school year drew criticism, as many students in underdeveloped regions lacked the technological means to participate in classes.
Providing internet connection to schools has wavered for a long period, but the ICT and education ministries’ initiative last year to upgrade schools into smart educational centers is seemingly putting an end to the long saga of educational disparity.
The agreement between the two ministries includes various measures, such as connecting all schools to NIN and equipping them with modern tools needed by students and teachers.
