Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has announced a new brand identity and said it is on track to be classed as a 5G regulator by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The CITC said that under a new direction, telecom firms, IT and emerging technology will work together to create a digital ecosystem that, combined with postal services, will provide an attractive communications infrastructure.
The CITC said the kingdom has an ambition to join the top 20 countries in the telecommunications and information technology sector by 2030, improving the sector's performance and contribution to GDP. The CITC's move from a telecom regulator to a digital regulator will accelerate the growth of Saudi Arabia's digital economy, it said.
Dr. Mohammed Al Tamimi, governor of CITC, stated, “The digitalization of the world’s economy has significantly accelerated in 2020. Our new strategy aims to place Saudi Arabia among the world’s best when it comes to implementing and regulating new digital technologies across all sectors.”
“We are one of the most tech-savvy and connected nations in the world and CITC, as the national regulator, must ensure that the digital infrastructure and regulatory framework reflects this.”
“Saudi Arabia has already received international recognition for our achievements in the ICT sector and, with this new direction, we will be able to accomplish even more.”
CITC’s new strategy comes directly in line with the Vision 2030 ambitions and the ICT Sector Strategy 2023 set out by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT). Saudi Arabia is a digital nation, perfectly positioned to kick-start an exciting era of investment and innovation across a wide variety of sectors.
The Kingdom currently ranks fifth in the world for mobile Internet speed, with an average speed of 77.55 Mbps. A modern and pragmatic spectrum strategy puts Saudi Arabia second among the G20 countries for spectrum allocation and fourth in the world for 5G networks deployment.