Communications and Information Technology Commission: Published Internet Speed Statistics Are Unofficial and Pertain Only to the Publishing Application

With reference to what has recently been circulated in some media outlets regarding statistics on fourth-generation internet speed in the Kingdom, published by one of the applications that can be downloaded on smartphones.

The Commission would like to clarify that these internet speed statistics are based on studies and analysis by that application, and pertain only to those who downloaded that application, and are not an official indicator of internet speed. This, of course, does not provide a comprehensive and accurate analysis, as it depends on several factors, including the sample size used in conducting the statistics, and its distribution across the geographic region in which measurements are to be taken, as well as the conditions under which the measurements themselves are conducted. This is evident from the variation in country rankings in the statistics published by a number of owners of applications operating in similar fields, because accurate statistics on speed rankings require a precise methodology that takes into account all factors affecting measurements conducted on a specific technology.

It should be noted that the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations agency specialized in telecommunications, has not issued an official statistic regarding fourth-generation internet speed for countries.

It is also worth noting that the Kingdom ranks second in the Arab world in terms of internet speed over fixed telephone networks, according to reports by the International Telecommunication Union.