"CITC" Approves 3 Specialized Companies to Provide Connected Vehicle Services in the Kingdom

The Communications and Information Technology Commission, in cooperation with the General Authority of Transport and the National Committee for Regulations, issued its approval for three companies to provide "connected vehicle" services, with "Ford Saudi Arabia" providing the service for "Ford" and "Lincoln" vehicles, "Abdullah Hashim Limited" for "Honda" vehicles, and "Nissan Saudi Arabia Limited" for "Nissan and Infiniti" vehicles, following the initial approval granted for providing the service in the Kingdom to "Abdul Latif Jameel" for "Toyota" and "Lexus" vehicles, bringing the number of connected vehicle service providers in the Kingdom to 4 companies providing the service for seven types of vehicles.

This comes as part of the Commission's regulatory role for the information technology and emerging technologies sector, and its pursuit of stimulating and enhancing investment in emerging technologies in the Kingdom, increasing the benefit from these technologies and their economic and social contribution, and working to achieve maximum benefit from telecom and information technology services, which contributes to making the Kingdom one of the leading countries in using and developing technologies that contribute to improving quality of life and contributing to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The "connected vehicles" service is one of the Internet of Things applications that links the vehicle to the connected vehicle service provider's systems to provide a number of services that will raise the level of safety for vehicle occupants, such as the service of reporting diagnostic reports on the vehicle's performance status, which helps the manufacturer and owner in many decisions related to vehicle maintenance and performance improvement, and requesting assistance and technical support directly, in addition to a range of entertainment options and services, resulting in an improved user experience.

It is noted that this approval is an extension of the Communications and Information Technology Commission's role in regulating the Internet of Things and emerging technologies through adopting and publishing the Internet of Things regulatory framework, licensing the provision of Internet of Things virtual network operator (IoT-VNO) services, and contributing to the deployment of Internet of Things communication technologies such as NB-IoT technology, alongside establishing a license to provide Internet of Things services using license-exempt frequencies, in addition to partnering with the General Authority of Transport, which regulates land, sea, and rail transport modes, and supports the adoption of Internet of Things technologies and modern technologies in transport modes and their supporting services, in a way that enhances the spread of smart transport within the Kingdom's cities.