Protecting Users and the Market from Violating Practices: Commission Fines Telecom Companies More Than SAR 18 Million

The Communications and Information Technology Commission published, on its website, a set of decisions issued by the Committee for Consideration of Telecom Law Violations, including financial fine penalties exceeding SAR 18 million, against Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), and Saudi Mobile Telecommunications Company (Zain); upheld by final rulings issued by the Board of Grievances.

The Commission explained that the Committee imposed financial fines of (SAR 8.6 million) on Saudi Telecom Company (STC), for committing a number of violations detailed in the decisions published on the Commission's website, including establishing a number of prepaid SIM cards in violation of the Telecom Law, failure to comply with implementing a number of the Commission's directives regarding a number of complaints, failure to provide the Commission with the information required from the company within the specified deadline, and using frequencies without obtaining a license from the Commission.

The Commission also stated that the Committee imposed financial fines of (SAR 6.4 million) on Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), for committing a number of violations detailed in the decisions published on the Commission's website, including establishing a number of prepaid SIM cards in violation of the Telecom Law, failure to comply with implementing a number of the Commission's directives regarding a number of complaints, and failure to provide the Commission with the information required from the company within the specified deadline.

The Commission added that the Committee imposed financial fines of (SAR 3.2 million) on Saudi Mobile Telecommunications Company (Zain), for committing a number of violations detailed in the decisions published on the Commission's website, including establishing a number of prepaid SIM cards in violation of the Telecom Law, failure to comply with implementing a number of the Commission's directives regarding a number of complaints, and failure to provide the Commission with the information required from the company within the specified deadline.

This is an extension of the Communications and Information Technology Commission's efforts to work on protecting the rights of users, and the telecom market from practices that violate the Telecom Law and its implementing regulations, as the Commission recently issued financial fines against a number of service providers exceeding SAR 38 million.

Link to violation details