The Minister of Information and Communications Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi has called for accelerating the implementation of ICT projects in South Khorasan Province, including the fiber-optic projects and telecommunications coverage in rural areas.
He made the statement in a
meeting on Tuesday with Seyed Mohammad Reza Hashemi, Governor-General of South
Khorasan, to follow up the progress of ICT projects in the eastern province during
which he reiterated the removal of barriers by provincial officials to carry
out the infrastructure projects.
Referring to the mechanism for
monitoring the ICT Ministry’s projects, Hashemi said, “Project monitoring
meetings are the outcome of provincial visits and the decisions adopted during
these visits.”
“Every week, in the presence of
governors-general and provincial officials, the progress of the decisions is
transparently reviewed with the participation of ICT Ministry officials and telecommunications
operators to ensure that the commitments are implemented.”
Regarding the communications
coverage of villages in South Khorasan Province, Hashemi noted: “At the
beginning of the President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, 60 percent of
the province’s villages had access to the internet and the National Information
Network with proper quality.”
“This was despite the fact that
in the initial assessment, this figure had been announced as 95 percent, which
was revised by adopting a precise and stringent approach and matching the
statistics with actual conditions on the ground.”
He added: “Over the past two
years, despite the ups and downs of this period, communications coverage of the
province’s villages has increased by 16 percent, reaching 76 percent. This
trend will continue.”
Significant growth in fiber-optic
connections
The ICT Minister escribed the
development of fiber optics as another major objective of communications
projects in South Khorasan Province.
“The development of this
infrastructure project has been pursued in the province by Iran
Telecommunication Company and (internet service provider) Shatel taking the
lead, and there has also been fivefold growth in subscriber connections.”
He stated: “Of course, there are obstacles
in the field of fiber-optic coverage that must be removed as soon as possible
in coordination with the province’s urban management so that more people can
benefit from this infrastructure.”
Hashemi stressed the need to
facilitate executive processes in the province, saying “The more obstacles and
implementation processes are facilitated, the faster the development of
communications will proceed.”
“Despite the investment made in the
province’s communications infrastructure, given South Khorasan’s capacities, we
are still not satisfied with the current situation and must pursue
communications development seriously.”
Hashemi also termed as
significant South Khorasan Province’s capacity in the fields of the digital
economy and technology diplomacy and said, “The province’s border with
Afghanistan is an opportunity for developing technological cooperation.”
Also referring to the province’s
mining capacities, he described the smart mine plans as one of the new issues
receiving attention from the ICT Ministry.
“South Khorasan has significant
capacity in the mining sector, and new technologies can play an effective role
in increasing productivity, improving safety and enhancing the mineral
extraction process.”
“The ICT Ministry has announced
its readiness to cooperate in this area, and we hope to provide the people of
the province with good news in this regard in the near future,” the minister said.