a meeting discussing the upcoming challenges and priorities for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the 14th government was held. The candidates recommended by the selection committee for the next minister were expected to attend, but none of them participated. The meeting was organized by the scientific-analytical group Teyf.
ICT Industry Experts: The Future Minister Should Define a Few Clear and Limited Priorities
According to Iran digital economy annotation, Experts and activists in the ICT industry have highlighted the need for the future government and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to define a few specific and focused priorities and to diligently pursue them until achieving concrete results.
Attendees, some of whom were members of the ministerial candidate selection committee, shared their views on the issues and priorities facing the industry. They emphasized that having too many priorities might prevent the Ministry from achieving significant outcomes, suggesting that it is better to focus on a few specific areas. Among those present, Farzin Fardis, a board member of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, stated that having too many priorities implies that there are no real priorities. He stressed that after the minister is appointed, efforts should be made to support and hold them accountable.
Soheil Mazloom, a member of the Computer Trade Union and a member of the ministerial candidate selection committee, requested that the future minister delegate all executive tasks to private companies and focus solely on policymaking and oversight.
Mehrdad Miresmaeili, CEO of Arg Telecom, presented data on the revenue per capita of fixed and mobile operators from 2008 to 2022 and the import of IT goods during these years. He concluded that the industry’s economy has significantly shrunk, and no manager can achieve notable success until this issue is addressed. He suggested making the industry competitive by liberalizing prices and highlighting the economic losses caused by internet filtering as potential solutions.
Pouya Pirhosseinlou, CEO of Arvan Cloud and a member of the E-Commerce Association, referred to the association’s reports on the state of the internet in Iran. He reiterated the demands from the latest report, which include lifting internet filtering, removing technology sanctions, and ending deliberate internet disruptions. He noted that while achieving all these demands quickly might not be feasible, gradual and consistent steps can be taken, such as requesting transparency of the opinions of the members of the Committee for the Determination of Criminal Content (Filtering Committee). Pirhosseinlou also emphasized that sanctions significantly impact internet quality and urged the government to work on removing technology sanctions.
Alireza Saidi, CEO of MobinNet, also emphasized the importance of selecting a powerful minister and ensuring that the minister’s team is competent.
Sadina Abaei, Chair of the ICT Commission at the Iran Chamber of Commerce and a member of the ministerial candidate selection committee, stated, “Today we have a relatively good president, and we must help him become a great president.” She outlined the problems that the future minister will face and stressed the critical role of the Minister of Communications in categorizing the industry’s and the public’s demands and presenting them to the President.
Davood Adib, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Telecommunication Exporters of Iran and another member of the ministerial candidate selection committee, outlined his expectations from the future minister in six areas, including generating value, establishing proper communication with Iran Telecommunication Company, developing the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the Payam Economic Zone, and supporting technological exports.
Baqer Samadi, CEO of Aap, suggested that the Minister of Communications should be one of the tallest ministers in the cabinet to effectively build consensus. He believed that, since communications and information technology is a cross-sectional industry, the minister should also be cross-sectional and have experience in the private sector to understand how higher-level decisions and policies impact businesses.
In this meeting, Mehdi Rouhani-Nejad, Deputy of the Regulatory and Radio Communications Organization, who has transitioned from the private sector to government, briefly emphasized that while the private sector has many aspirations, a government manager should define a few specific goals and focus all efforts on achieving them. He also mentioned that the future minister should demonstrate more interaction and flexibility, given that coordination between the parliament and the new government will be less than with the previous administration.
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