TEHRAN – The Information and Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) has several plans for developing digital transformation, ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said on Saturday, IRNA reported.

An appropriate ecosystem in information technology paves the way for digital transformation, he explained.

The IT industry is one of the infrastructures for development of industry in the field of ICT, he said.

Azari Jahromi said that there is a great capacity for using Internet of Things (IoT) in Iran.

The ICT ministry is providing an ecosystem for urban services in the near future.

“We have also discussed the role of digital transformation during meetings with the health minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi,” he explained.

The IoT capacities for digital transformation in water and electricity industry are finalized, he said.

In July, the ICT ministry and the Ministry of Energy signed an agreement to boost job creation and improve efficiency in the field of water and electricity through technological advancement.

He named digital transformation in agriculture as another part of ecosystem.

Smart irrigation is a great method to deal with water shortage and environmental problems, he said.

According to an agreement signed by the ICT ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture in July, it was projected that at least 20 percent of the agricultural economy to be linked with the digital economy over the course of four years.

It covers smart irrigation and pest control via space technology.

Iran is heading to development of digital economy and the University of Tehran is responsible for research in this field, he said.

The ICT ministry holds about 50 workshops in different provinces in recent year to introduce digital economy, he said.

E-government not a claim 

The ICT ministry is providing infrastructures for e-government and it is not a claim, Azari Jahromi said.

Today people can register for smart cards for purchasing gasoline with three clicks, he said.

Iran started issuing smart cards for purchasing gasoline on December 3 through “Mobile Government” - the first phase of e-government services project which came on stream in May.

Through the project, the gasoline smart cards, which were used for rationing fuel in past years, is now connected to the bank cards for easy payment.

The government save 3.3 trillion rials (some $78.5m) through issuing the smart card by the Mobile Government, he said.

He said that the ministry plans to stop issuing paper bill for different services in near future.

The Mobile Government aims to facilitate some government services, reduce unnecessary expenses and ease traffic jam, which is the main cause of air pollution in big cities.

It is based on the National Information Network, an ongoing project to develop a secure and stable infrastructure network in the country. 

SB/MQ/MG