Communications and Information Technology Commission: 33.4 Million Broadband Subscriptions in the Kingdom by the End of 2015

Total subscriptions to broadband services over mobile communications networks, in their comprehensive definition, continued to rise, reaching about 33.4 million by the end of 2015, compared to about 29.1 million by the end of 2014. These subscriptions include subscriptions to data services and subscriptions to voice communications packages, making the penetration rate of broadband services over mobile communications networks, relative to the population, about 106%. The increasing spread of smartphones and their applications has led to a significant rise in the number of users in recent years, and an increase in data traffic through these devices, supported by wide coverage of third- and fourth-generation networks in various regions of the Kingdom.

The number of subscriptions to broadband services over fixed communications networks, which include digital subscriber lines (DSL) and fixed wireless connections, in addition to fiber optics and other wired lines, also rose to about 3.56 million subscriptions by the end of 2015, with a penetration rate estimated at about 49.67% for dwellings, compared to about 3.03 million subscriptions in 2014.

It is worth noting that demand for broadband services has recently increased significantly compared to previous years, due to society's need for this variety of services, especially after the government provided strong support for high-technology projects, which require good digital infrastructure, after many government procedures came to be conducted through electronic government transactions. This rise was also helped by the spread of internet service usage in society, and programs downloaded onto smart devices, such as social networks, business applications, word processing, protection tools, games, and others — applications that require large download capacities and high speeds. This has prompted service providers to create multiple packages for a larger segment of users that suit their needs.