On 28 April, the second day of a large-scale event - the Tashkent International Investment Forum - is taking place at the Congress Hall, where relevant topics from the field of business and investment are being raised.

During the panel session "Industrial Internet of Things - Driver of Economic Growth", it was noted that in today's world, IOT (Industrial Internet of Things) is an industry that combines industry and technology. It allows the collection of data about the operation of machines, equipment and production processes in real-time. They are used to optimize and improve the productivity of equipment as well as save resources. IOT is a key driver of economic growth. It also opens up new opportunities for creating innovative products and services.

The event was attended by Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technology of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mitchell Mobayed, Director of Future Tech IOT - AI - Cybersecurity, Bond Communications, Aset Akhmetov, founder of Sergek, Executive Vice President of Mitsubishi Corporation Yasunori Sakamoto, Digitex Vice President for Strategic Partnerships Leonid Bilecki, BIKAL CEO Raj Sandhu, Huawei wireless technology expert Shukhrat Mirzaev and Davron Abdumuminov, Associate Director, Technology Consulting Group KPMG in Central Asia and Caucasus. The moderator was Andrey Beklemishev, Vice-President of IDC.

The speakers discussed the main economic benefits of developing Industrial Internet of Things, the impact of its development on productivity, cost reduction, and production efficiency. In addition, sectors of the economy with the greatest potential for IOT development were voiced.

The first speaker was Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan. He began his speech by comparing access to high-speed Internet in Uzbekistan a few years ago and now:

- Five or six years ago, the Internet was very expensive, and high-speed Internet was the privilege of rich people. But we have made it available to everyone.

He also talked about the immediate plans. Among them is investing in new projects to provide hard-to-reach areas of the country with high-speed internet. In addition, it should be in all schools in the country, as it is a requirement of the modern world.

5G Internet in the country is still in the development stage and is only available in Samarkand and Tashkent. But there are plans to roll it out in the near future.

Director of Future Tech IOT - AI - Cybersecurity, Bond Communications Mitchell Mobayed shared his impressions of working in Uzbekistan:

- The opportunities here are huge. We've seen Uzbekistan strengthen its investment partnership for several years now. We are very happy to work in this region, to develop new technologies and implement them, and to make the most of the potential of this region.

Davron Abdumuminov, Associate Director, Technology Consulting Group KPMG in Central Asia and Caucasus, said that Uzbekistan's economy is ready for the introduction of IOT. However, this requires highly qualified specialists, because IOT is data collection, which requires experience.

Aset Akhmetov, the founder of the intelligent system of public and road safety Sergek, spoke about his goals in Uzbekistan:

- We have a working project here. It is small, but it already exists and works. The city of Tashkent is very important to us, and our product has a positive impact on it. Our goal is security. We can take it to a high level. The trend for the whole world is that cities should be smart. I am confident that we can develop our business in Uzbekistan.