ICT underscores digital economy as strategic growth driver nationwide
Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Sattar Hashemi, said on Saturday night that the country’s digital economy offers exceptionally high returns on investment, underlining the sector’s strategic importance.
Speaking in a televised interview, Hashemi also emphasized the government’s commitment to expanding fiber optic infrastructure nationwide, IRNA reported.
He said the core of the digital economy has “a very high rate of diversification,” noting that, “Compared with investment in other sectors, the return on each dollar invested in the digital economy is roughly between eight and eighty-four times.”
The minister added that while the figure is not definitive, it reflects the sector’s vast potential.
“We must take this economy seriously, pay attention to it, and help bring about positive changes for the country,” he said.
Hashemi stressed that the country’s path toward digital transformation depends on close cooperation with the private sector.
Fiber optic drive
The minister said Iran’s communications technology sector “is on the verge of a fundamental transformation after 100 years,” as the current government moves to replace copper-based networks with fiber optic infrastructure.
“The current infrastructure cannot meet the country’s communication needs,” he said, adding that the goal is to complete about 70 percent of the project by the end of the current administration.
“Tens of thousands of kilometers of this infrastructure have already been developed across the country,” Hashemi said, expressing optimism that the project will significantly improve the quality of digital communications once completed.