An analysis on policy requirements to strengthening the local content of ICT equipment in Iran

For decade, support for domestic production, due to international sanctions and the important of national technological capabilities, has been at center of attention of managers, researchers and policy makers. Regarding to ICT priorities, this issue because of the advent of digital technologies and the high impacts on other industries, has led innovation policy tools into directions. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the current situation and provide policy requirements for the enhancement of capabilities in the ICT sector. The present research is applied in terms of a quantitative - qualitative mixed approach, within Iran’s ICT sector during past three decades. The required data is collected through a content analysis method of many semi-structured interviews with relevant persons. Data analysis is conducted by coding and classification method of axial coding process. The findings show that the policy requirements of the local production related to ICT sector divided into the four categories of demand-side, supply-side, regulatory infrastructure, and international diplomacy. These requirements are being distinguished by the technological areas and included digital skills, international R&D, key infrastructure public procurement, disclosure of information in technology transfer, and improvement of intellectual property obligations. One of pivotal findings of this paper is proposing institutional in ICT sector which is over looked in the literature. Furthermore, our findings have implications on the future academic research and the efforts shaping regulations within ICT sector.