Iran’s Communications and Information Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi attended the International Telecoms Union’s Telecom World 2016 held in Bangkok, Thailand, last week.
“We believe that development of ICT in today’s world will pave the way for investment and loans in this field,” he said, adding that its growth can help create jobs in all fields.
According to ICT Press, Vaezi said ICT is viewed as a factor for growth and an accelerator of development in all fields.
The minister noted that infrastructure and value added services can be expanded, once Iran can extend services at reasonable prices in a transparent, secure and competitive way.
“Using up-to-date and effective technologies, promoting competition and creating local content are the current policies of our ministry,” he added.
He stressed that innovative research must be carried out in areas such as cloud computing and Internet of Things.
Vaezi further said Iran’s ICT sector has registered a sevenfold increase in bandwidth capacity, a tenfold jump in broadband users and a sevenfold expansion of fiber optic network.
The minister said all these developments have “enabled us to bring high-speed Internet to 80% of the households, while 90% of the country’s rural areas have also received broadband services [through mobile services]”.
As part of Iran’s next five-year economic development plan, “€16 billion will be invested in ICT … The private sector and foreign investors will be urged to invest in Iran’s ICT industry that yields notable profits”, he added.
Stressing that setting up a transit route from the east to the west is a strategic plan, Vaezi said it would significantly reduce transit costs for broadband Internet.
“Iran is ready to lend the necessary support for completing connectivity between Asia and Europe,” he said.
MoU in e-Sales Services
On the sidelines of the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed between an Iranian firm named Arianna Gostar Espadana and a Korean company known as Cobaltry. The two sides agreed to cooperate in the area of “easy shopping” with a revenue sharing approach.
Cobaltry specializes in manufacturing hardware and software.
Reza Haji Ahmadi, deputy manager of the Iranian company, said, “in line with plans to develop IT in Iran and with a new vision, we began research in shopping methods while studying the markets of other countries”.
The main goal of this service is to offer shopping services in a densely-populated city with a subway.
Using an application, customers can select and purchase products on the way home or work, which will be delivered in the shortest time possible—ideally by the time the customer arrives at his or her destination.
Much like Amazon’s recent push to promote Amazon Lockers in cities in Europe and North America, the system should reduce the number of motorbike deliveries.
Aside from being an Internet-based service, the application will reduce traffic and pollution while offering the items at the best price and creating jobs as well.
For the launch of this application, “we need state organizations to cooperate in promoting acculturation and spreading public awareness”.
Telecom World 2016 was held from November 14 to 17 while the next year’s event will be hosted by South Korea in Seoul.
ITU Telecom World is a global platform for accelerating ICT innovations. It aims to deliver economic development and social good faster through its exhibition for digital solutions, forum for sharing knowledge and networking hub connecting nations, organizations and individuals.
The Communications Infrastructure Company of Iran was lauded as one of the firms with the best pavilions at the telecoms event by the event organizer.
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