Over 100,000 jobs will be created in the information and communications technology sector by the end of the current fiscal year (started March 21, 2015), First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri said.
The government is expanding infrastructures to make it happen, he said at the opening ceremony of an IT Development Project last week.
The official condemned "limiting public access to communication services" and asserted that "the government of Hassan Rouhani will deliver its promise of improving Internet and communications."
"We cannot isolate Iran from the IT scene or limit connectivity and Internet usage just because cyberspace carries several potential threats. By doing so, we would be depriving the Iranian society of a highly productive opportunity," ISNA quoted the official as saying
The first vice president suggested that developing ICT minimizes chances of administrative corruption. "With the spread of ICT and by promoting an e-government, the responsibility of our administration [and others] increases as we will have to operate in full transparency," he said.
Jahangiri said any country that fails to keep up with the speedy development of IT will not be productive.
"The country's economy, jobs, culture and governance are all in need of major reform. With the current procedures, we will not be able to boost our GDP. Developing ICT is the one way to make a meaningful change."
The official also highlighted the importance of setting up businesses in the IT field while adding "expatriates should also be encouraged to operate inside Iran."
"Content creation is of utmost importance. By easing the entry of private sector into the IT realm, locally developed IT equipment will also receive a boost."
Jahangiri noted that the administration aims to develop IT to an extent that every bureaucratic procedure can be done electronically.
Iran holds the highest mobile phone penetration in the Middle East. The latest statistics suggest that 83.2 million cellphone users were registered in Iran in 2015, which exceed the total population.
The minister noted, "Our people's time can be saved by eliminating hours of confusing paperwork."
