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Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) responded to recent countrywide GPS outages, along with conveying worries about artificial intelligence (AI) development and the health of internet infrastructure.
Hassan Meysami, ICT Ministry Director General of New Technology Development, also said in an interview with state television that the 12-day outage for GPS-based navigation apps caused severe issues for ride-hailing and delivery services. "Given the situation that occurred in the country, we have to provide sensitive agencies with the authority to impose temporary restrictions until stability is regained," he added.
Meysami described the unrest as "highly unusual" and linked it to the 12-day violence, emphasizing that maintaining public safety remains a task for the government."We understand the discomfort this has caused people," he added. "We don't want it to continue. However, as law enforcers, we are responsible for implementing official directives."
High-ranking Figures should Avoid Employing Foreign Media
In the sector of safe communication, Meysami delineated that high-ranking military and political figures should avoid employing foreign media such as WhatsApp, but ordinary citizens can still use them legally. The users, according to him, ought to rely only on officially sanctioned services and protect their personal information.
Paying attention to AI, Meysami warned Iran was falling behind regional rivals. "We are among the top nations in human capacity for AI, but due to a lack of timely investment and elite flight, our scientific production is plummeting. Compared to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, our indicators have reached an alarm level, which is concerning," he continued.
Meysami also pointed out the poor quality of internet in Iran. He also cited network congestion and outdated equipment, worsened by international sanctions. He promised that the ministry has rejected repeated applications by operators to hike internet tariffs on the pretext of public uproar. "Operators are complaining they cannot expand with tarification frozen, but we have not consented to a price hike. This imbalance has led to suboptimal quality of service," he admitted.
The ICT official revealed that layoffs in the digital economy are unlikely. He estimated only a 30 percent chance of job cuts. Virtual platforms are still struggling to recover from the disruption. The government, he said, is working towards getting loan packages ready to provide working capital for battered startups. Most services - from logistics to tourism platforms - were technically operational during the crisis. However, demand for them dropped sharply.
Meysami summarized that efforts were made to keep critical infrastructure functional during the war. However, Iran's digital economy still suffers. Systemic problems in investment, regulation, and ecosystem resilience remain major obstacles.
