The Minister of Information and Communications Technology Seyed Sattar Hashemi said development of postal services in villages and nomadic communities is a means of expanding markets for local products and strengthening the connection between the rural economy and national and international markets.
Speaking at the ceremony Post:
Lasting Communication held in the presence of President Masoud Pezeshkian to
mark the World Post Day on Monday, he also emphasized the role of the postal
network in completing the digital economy’s value chain.
Hashemi congratulated the
country’s postal network employees on the occasion and expressed his
appreciation for their efforts in providing services to the public,
particularly under the country’s wartime circumstances.
Referring to the role of the
private sector in developing the postal industry, he described it as the link
connecting innovation and knowledge with the operational capabilities of the
postal network, emphasizing the need to strengthen private-sector participation
in this area.
Complement to Communications
Equity
The ICT Minister stated that the
ministry’s mission to develop communications and expand communications equity,
particularly in underserved areas, is completed by the movement of goods.
“The synergy between data flow
and the movement of goods creates the conditions for economic value creation,
and that the country’s postal network is one of the key pillars of this
process.”
Referring to the Universal Postal
Union’s slogan “One Postal Network, Infinite Possibilities”, Hashemi added that
the postal industry is one of the sectors whose continued services are
fundamentally important to the country’s economy, and that it is impossible to
imagine even a brief interruption in the services provided by this network.
“A significant portion of the
country’s production takes place in villages and nomadic areas. However, to
strengthen population retention in these areas, the development of
communications alone is not enough. Conditions must also be created to give
producers access to broader markets.”
He added: “By expanding its
services in villages and nomadic areas, the country’s postal network can help
achieve economic equity and connect the rural economy to the heart of the
national economy.”
Expanding Markets for Rural
Products
Referring to the production
potential of villages in areas such as handicrafts, orchard products, and
agricultural goods, Hashemi described expanding markets for these products as a
requirement for strengthening the rural economy.
“Expanding rural markets beyond
the local level to national and international markets would make it possible to
reduce the role of intermediaries and connect producers directly with consumer
markets.”
He noted that achieving the goal
requires the effective development of the movement of goods alongside data
flow, with the country’s postal network playing an active role in this process.
Expressing his appreciation for
the measures taken in this area, Hashemi emphasized that developing the rural
economy and leveraging the postal network’s capabilities to achieve this goal
are ongoing processes that require long-term planning.
Hashemi also highlighted the
importance of performance indicators in evaluating the postal industry, stating
“Alongside statistics such as the number of postal items and postal service
penetration per capita, the extent to which communications and postal network
initiatives contribute to advancing the country’s economy must also be
measured.”
He asked the CEO of the national Iran
Post Company to take this indicator into account alongside other performance
evaluation criteria so that the network’s actual role in the country’s economic
development could be determined.
Progress in Location
Identification
In another part of his remarks,
the minister termed location identification as one of the pillars of
data-driven governance, saying “Just as verifying individuals’ identities is
essential for providing services, accurately identifying locations through
postal codes and geographic information is equally important, with the two
elements complementing each other.”
Referring to the progress made
under President Pezeshkian’s administration in address assignment and location
identification, Hashemi stated “The rate of geocoding locations has reached 87
percent in urban areas and 75 percent in rural areas, whereas progress in this
process in rural areas had initially stood at around four percent.”
He explained that establishing a
geospatial database is the first step in this process, adding that the next
step is the widespread use of valid postal codes in the process of delivering
services by government agencies.
Introducing the proposed
executive regulations for expanding and implementing the use of postal codes,
which have been submitted to the Cabinet, and the President’s support for the
initiative, he emphasized “Making the use of postal codes mandatory across the
country’s government agencies will pave the way for expanding the application
of this infrastructure in the delivery of public services.”
The ICT Minister expressed appreciation
for the efforts of Iran Post Company’s employees in carrying out their assigned
missions, adding that the country’s postal network staff had demonstrated their
operational readiness to undertake new missions and broader responsibilities.
Smart Transformation at Iran Post
Company
He highlighted the smart
transformation initiatives at the Iran Post Company and other parts of the
country’s postal network, saying performance-based compensation was one of the
key areas for process reform and productivity improvement.
“The implementation of a
performance-based compensation system had begun at the Iran Post Company and
had reached advanced stages in some areas, while other parts of the process
were still being finalized.”
Hashemi explained that the
maturity of the Iran Post Company’s operational processes had created the
conditions for implementing this approach and added “Linking compensation to
performance had helped improve productivity and paved the way for the company
to move from operating at a loss toward sustainable profitability.”
“The move toward sustainable
profitability must be accompanied by a professional approach to business
management and the reform of organizational processes, enabling the Iran Post
Company to improve service quality while making more effective use of its
economic potential,” he noted.
Moving toward 5G Regulation
In the final part of his remarks,
the Minister emphasized the need to gradually separate direct operational
management and service delivery from regulatory responsibilities, saying that organizations
such as the Iran Post Company should gradually move away from a primary focus
on operations, strengthen their regulatory role, and create more room for
private-sector activity”.
Elaborating on the “fifth-generation
regulation” approach, he added that the issue was on the ICT Ministry’s agenda
and that international studies and measures undertaken in this area were being
reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Also drawing on the experience of
the communications sector in separating operations from regulation and
policymaking, Hashemi noted that steps toward this transition had already begun
in some areas, while others still required further planning and follow-up.
In closing, he emphasized the
valuable contribution of the private sector across various areas of the
economy, describing expanded private-sector participation as essential to
improving the efficiency of the postal network and making better use of the capabilities
of the country’s postal industry.