Page 55 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2023

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGIONAL NEWS

CST Announces that the ICT Market in the Kingdom Has Reached 154 billion
SAR

Under the patronage of H.E. the Minister of
Communications and Information Technology,
Chairman of the CST's Board of Directors, Eng. Abdullah
Alsawaha, The Communications, Space and Technology
Commission (CST) held the “ICT Indicators Forum 2023”,
with the presence of H.E. the Governor of the CST, Dr.
Muhammad Altamimi, as well as a number of their
highnesses, excellencies, and local and international
experts. During the forum, CST announced that the value
of the ICT market in Saudi Arabia reached 154 billion
SAR in 2022, making it the largest and fastest-growing
digital economy in the MENA region. Dr. Altamimi
revealed that Saudi Arabia's total capital investment in
digital infrastructure has reached more than 93 billion
SAR over the past six years, noting that this expansion
led to a rise in the quality of the provided services,
by doubling the mobile Internet speeds to 11 times,
exceeding 181 Mbps, which is double the global average,
making the Kingdom maintain its place among the top 10
countries in terms of mobile internet speed. In addition,
Dr. Altamimi pointed out that CST was able to launch
high-speed internet service in 21 thousand villages and
immigration in various regions of the Kingdom to ensure
the continuity of communications services for more
than 5 million people, confirming the development of the
communications and technology system in the Kingdom.
In the Kingdom, 5G coverage has increased to 53%; in
Riyadh, it has exceeded 94%. Additionally, 3.7 million
Saudi homes are under fiber optics coverage. Altamimi
also stated that Internet service usage has significantly
increased in Saudi Arabia, where the subscription rate
for mobile communications has reached 172% of the
population, while the average daily mobile internet
data consumption per individual in the Kingdom has
reached over 1200MB, which is three times the global
average. CST also contributed to strengthening national
participatory efforts through collaboration with the
Transport General Authority and the National Regulations
Committee to issue 12 approvals for 26 brands that
provide connected vehicle services. In addition to
launching the experimental regulatory environment
for emerging technologies in support of entrepreneurs
and innovators, and creating a flexible environment that
balances innovation and regulation. The ICT Indicators
Forum focused in this edition on the efforts and trends in to support the aspirations of the digital economy in Saudi Arabia, as well as
enhancing the efficiency of digital infrastructure, and the exploring the future of communications and technology markets and their
importance of expanding the scope of digital business most important trends.

55 MARCH-APRIL 2023