Progressive Policy & Regulatory Steps in Saudi Arabia to Set a Global Milestone in Spectrum Availability
The Communications and Information Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia (CITC), by issuing a 3-year Outlook for Commercial and Innovative Use of the Spectrum, has expressed its plans to allocate or improve access to more than 23 GHz of spectrum for a wide range of digital communication uses, specifically by allocating the 600 MHz band and the 3.8 – 4 GHz band for mobile use, and by allowing secondary mobile use in the 28 GHz band. This important development underpins the Commission's aim to expand the range of resources and services in the country, while ensuring that the digital ecosystem will thrive and Telecom Operators have access to more spectrum resources for incentivizing further investment.
The release of the spectrum outlook also follows CITC's successfully collaborated event with the ITU, "Radio Spectrum for IMT-2020 and Beyond: Fostering Commercial and Innovative Use", held in December 2020, in which SAMENA Council provided a set of recommendations for the Commission's consideration.
The Spectrum Outlook is also part of the National Spectrum Strategy, which aims to unlock the potential of radio spectrum in Saudi Arabia for a smarter and safer future by 2025. As a result, this development makes Saudi Arabia the country with the most spectrum allocated for mobile use globally in the Sub-6 GHz and Sub-30 GHz frequency ranges. Moreover, additional spectrum will be managed through a combination of innovative approaches that will deliver greater sharing and flexible access, including spectrum trading to allow the market to change the ownership and, in some cases, the use of spectrum.
The draft of the Spectrum Outlook followed a transparent and collaborative process that involved public consultation and engagement with more than 65 wireless technology organizations, and industry bodies, including SAMENA Council.
The Governor of CITC, HE Dr. Mohammed Al-Tamimi, explaining the rationale behind the release of the new spectrum outlook stated: “We have strategically allocated the additional spectrum in accordance with international best practices, while still taking into account the rapid increase in local data consumption, which will fuel a bigger demand for spectrum in the future... Allocating new spectrum for emerging wireless technologies to enable many use cases across different industries and verticals will help Saudi Arabia to build a digital society. CITC is adopting a progressive spectrum policy to meet spectrum demand of this wireless proliferation..."
Source: SAMENA