Page 80 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2022

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Saudi Arabia Announces Its Candidacy for ITU Council Membership

The Communications and Information Technology Commission
(CITC) Governor Dr. Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Tamimi announced
the Kingdom's candidacy for membership of the ITU Council at
the ITU Council 2022 session in Geneva. During his speech at
the Council, Al-Tamimi recalled how the Kingdom has worked
alongside the ITU on many successful programs to strengthen
digital infrastructure in developing countries. “As Saudi Arabia,
we are committed to the ITU’s continued success in connecting
people and ensuring a sustainable digital future for all and support
the ICT sector globally,” he added. In addition, Al-Tamimi noted
that Saudi Arabia is undergoing a remarkable period of profound
digital transformation. The Kingdom’s telecommunications and
information technology market size reached $40 billion, which
makes it the biggest market in MENA region, with over $19 billion
worth of government-led investments in the last five years. This
resulted in many achievements that paved the way for adopting
several digital technologies. Saudi Arabia deployed the world-
first successful trial to provide 5G connectivity through high-
altitude platform systems (5G HAPS), and the launch of WiFi-6e
technology which will improve Internet speeds by 5-fold for WiFi
users. Saudi Arabia is a member of ITU Council for over 57 years,
through which it had made major contributions in the ICT sector
alongside the ITU members, making a significant impact on the

global economy. The ITU Council consists of 48 countries, elected
among the agency’s 193 member states. As the Union’s governing
body, central to the Council's mandate is ensuring the activation
of timely policies, strategies, and programs to guide the global
ICT sector through today’s rapid transformations. In addition, the
Council oversees the day-to-day running of the Union, approving
budgets and coordinating work programs. Saudi Arabia has been
a committed member of the ITU since 1949, with an active role as
Council member since 1965. The Kingdom harnessed its human
capabilities to support the ITU mission and activities in managing
the frequency spectrum, allocating satellite orbits, and preparing
worldwide technical standards related to future networks, network
security and operational aspects, as well as the quality of service.

80 MARCH-APRIL 2022