State support is a prerequisite for improving the quality of Iranian software products and gaining a foothold in international market.

Many developing and transitional economies have become involved in software exports as the large and expanding markets for most types of software and IT service continue to grow.
Countries are using diverse strategies and approaches to tap this global market. Policymakers and software companies in Iran are no exception. They are keen to explore the potentials of global software exports and at the same time develop the domestic industry.
Iran is developing its capacity to meet its large demand and at the same time to become internationally competitive. The software sector itself, although strong in some areas, has not yet managed to become internationally competitive.
Chairman of Software Exporters Union Fereidoun Entezari said early this year that some software programs designed by Iranian engineers are successfully being executed in countries in Europe, the Americas, Central Asia and Persian Gulf as well as Afghanistan.
He called on the government to back software producers and exporters by implementing the law on supporting software designers, improving quality of exported products, giving incentives to exporters and establishing a fund to guarantee software export.
Many experts and software exporters believe that a number of problems hinder the export of $1 billion worth of software. For instance no price has been set for software products. Also lack of knowledge prevents banks from granting loans to exporters and software produced in Iran is not well-known in the global market. Political problems pose yet another challenge to the sector.
An assessment of the performance of software exporters in the Iranian year to March 2008 indicate that state support is a prerequisite for improving the quality of software products and gaining a foothold in international market.
Deputy Chairman of Software Exporters Union Mohammad Reza Talaei told ISNA that failure to draw investment is among the main problems facing the sector. He added that the failure to observe the Copyright Law prevents overseas companies from investing in Iran’s software industry.
He hoped that Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry would resolve the problem by drawing up a program to inform foreign investors about the law on supporting software producers.
According to him, banks, which do not have enough knowledge about IT industry, are unwilling to cooperate with software exporters.
Managing director of Software Export Development and Research Consortium stated that a large number of infrastructures should be prepared for meeting the target of exporting of $1 billion worth of software products.
Mehrdad Zolghadrian said that improving the capabilities of IT companies can help exporters achieve this.
He contended that specialized institutes should be formed to study conditions in target markets and draw up a comprehensive mid-term scheme for achieve the objectives.
A member of the union Gholamreza Zarin also said that better marketing strategies should be adopted for software export which does not require much investment.
He said that although marketing on non-software products is easy, it needs huge investment.
Zarin stated that companies producing high quality software should form a partnership with foreign companies, adding this will help them sell and purchase software products more easily.

Transit of goods by road will increase by 20 percent in the year to March 2009, head of Road Maintenance and Transport Organization, Mohammad Bokharaei said.
He told ISNA that efforts are underway to upgrade the potentials of the transport sector in field of transit and introduce the capabilities in the international arena. Based on this, he added, Iran Transit Forum was held in July 2007 and agreements were signed with 15 countries.
Bokharaei hoped that the transit sector would develop further and the objectives would be materialized in cooperation with Iran’s Customs Administration and other organizations.
Roads and Transportation Minister Mohammad Rahmati said in the opening ceremony of Iran Transit Forum that trade has gone up in the past two decades with the creation of new national and regional markets.
He added that economic development in Asia, Europe and Africa has also played a key role in increasing commercial transactions between East and West.

Iran Minerals Production and Procurement Company and the winner of the tender to exploit Zarshouran mine, Pars Kani Company, have signed an agreement to construct a factory for producing gold from ore extracted from the mine.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, managing director of Iran Minerals Production and Procurement Company said that the gold and silver reserves of Zarshouran mine near the northwestern city of Takab, West Azarbaijan, are valued at one trillion rials, reported ISNA.
Highlighting that the factory would produce three tons and 10 kilograms of pure gold annually and daily respectively, Ardeshir Sa’d-Mohammadi said the factory would operate at 85 percent efficiency. “Also, the factory would produce 1.27 tons of silver and 800 kilograms of mercury per year.“

Iran and Pakistan are likely to sign the gas pipeline project by April 25 even if India chooses to stay away for the time being.
“If India does not want to immediately join in the agreement, it could do so afterwards. We will sign it bilaterally for the time being,“ an unnamed Pakistani official told the Post.

The IPI gas pipeline is crucial for New Delhi as after signing of the agreement, 60 million standard cubic meters per day of gas is expected to be supplied in phase-I, which will be shared equally between India and Pakistan.

He said the elected government wanted to complete the project soon in view of the increasing demand for gas and a draft had also been prepared in this respect. “India can always join us. We are not excluding it. We in fact want them to sign it with us,“ the official said.
Pakistani Petroleum Ministry officials have said that Sui Southern and Sui Northern gas pipeline companies had agreed on a joint venture for the project and the government has been briefed about that financial institutions within and outside the country which were ready to provide funds for laying the pipelines. Indian Petroleum Minister Murli Deora is likely to visit Islamabad this month to resolve the issues relating to the $7.4 billion gas pipeline project, especially the issue of transit fee. However, the United States is pressing India not to enter into the deal.
Last Wednesday, Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Khawaja Mohammad Asif said that Pakistan was fully committed to providing transit facility to India, adding that there should be no further delay in the realization of the project which would help meet energy shortfall in both the countries.
The minister was talking to Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal who called on him in Islamabad to discuss matters of mutual interest.
They discussed the upcoming visit of the Indian petroleum minister to Pakistan on April 21 for steering committee meeting on TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and discussion on transit fee for IPI project. The minister said that Pakistan was interested in both IPI and TAPI gas pipeline projects.
Meanwhile, India voiced deep enthusiasm for resolving differences with Pakistan on the project.
“We have two-three small differences on transit fees. But I am very optimist we can sort out the problems,“ India’s Petroleum Minister Deora said ahead of his visit to Pakistan to discuss the IPI pipeline.
Deora will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart over the multi-billion-dollar project on April 21 in Islamabad. A technical team is headed for the Pakistani capital today, Saturday, to discuss the long-awaited gas project.
He earlier said that there would be a meeting among representatives of India, Iran and Pakistan on the gas project, also known as the Peace Pipeline, on April 21.
The countries held tripartite negotiations on the project until recently, but New Delhi’s vacillation made Tehran and Islamabad determined to continue talks bilaterally. Iran and Pakistan have almost finalized the deal.
Earlier, a meeting between the two countries was postponed in February because of general elections in Pakistan.
According to Indian ministry sources, the IPI gas pipeline is crucial for New Delhi as after signing of the agreement, 60 million standard cubic meters per day (mmscmd) of gas is expected to be supplied in phase-I, which will be shared equally between India and Pakistan.
Talks are more likely to progress after Pakistan elected Yusuf Raza Gilani as its new prime minister last week, ending six months of political instability that culminated with the suspension of the constitution in November and the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December.
Iran, which has the world’s second-largest oil and natural gas reserves, agreed to sell gas to India in 1995.

A memorandum of understanding on training cooperation was signed by Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) and Chinese Hua-wy Company.
At the signing ceremony, head of TCI, Saber Feyzi said the aim of the MoU is to transfer know-how and conduct joint training programs with the Chinese telecommunication company.
Feyzi told IRNA, “Telecommunication college in Isfahan is an international center and Hua-wy company is also a well-known company in the field of telecommunication.“
On the Regional Training Center, Dean of TCI College Gholamali Hassani Sadr said, “The center will meet the educational needs of the TCI as well as Asia-Pacific telecommunication companies and those who have bought equipment from Hua-wy company.

Construction of five 400-kilovolt power transmission lines will start soon in the southwest of the country, said executive head of Iran Electricity Development Organization (IEDO).
Ebrahim Khalil-Laleh told MNA that the projects include Karoun 3-Karoun 4, Karoun 4-Lordegan, Lordegan-Yasouj, Asalouyeh-Fasa as well as the Damavand power plant.
Highlighting that the lines will extend 433 kilometers, he predicted that the projects will go on stream in the year to March 2010.
He recalled that about 480 kilometers of 400 kilovolt power transmission lines including Masjed Soleiman-Ahvaz 2, Abadan-Shalamcheh, Ardebil-Imishli and Mashhad-Sarakhs projects were inaugurated in the year to March 19.
Also executive operations of several 400 kilovolt power transmission lines began in 2006 and 2007, he said. He listed them as Yasouj-Chenar Shahijan, Yasouj-Sourmaq, Gotvand-Shazand, Gotvand-Ahvaz 4, Ahar-Megri, Megri-Jolfa and Jolfa-Khoy projects.