Communications and Information Technology Commission Issues Decision Requiring Operators to Observe Absolute Transparency in Packages and Offers

In line with the role of the Communications and Information Technology Commission in enhancing fair competition and protecting the public interest and the interests of users, the Commission's Board of Directors, chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, approved decisions regarding absolute transparency in packages and offers and the regulation of the fair use policy, during its meeting held on Sunday 29 Shawwal 1438H at the Commission's headquarters.

The new regulation stipulates the cancellation of all current fair use policy (FUP) practices applied by service providers to users on unlimited internet packages, due to service providers' failure to observe full clarity and absolute transparency.

The regulation requires service providers to lift all restrictions and cancel the fair use policy on all packages that include unlimited internet within a maximum period of 48 hours.

The Commission has given all service providers — should a provider wish to apply a fair use policy to current or future packages — a maximum grace period of 30 days to clearly disclose their policy to all users with full transparency and enable users to subscribe to the package most suitable for them; failure to disclose the fair use policy for packages that include this policy means that the packages are unrestricted, with no fair use policy applied.

In the event a fair use policy is applied to any current or future offer or package, the new regulation stipulates adherence to the minimum fair use thresholds set out in the following table:

Service type

Minimum fair use threshold

Internet packages using voice SIMs

3 GB/day, after which the speed drops to a minimum of 512 Kbps

Internet packages using data SIMs

6 GB/day, after which the speed drops to a minimum of 1 Mbps

The regulation also affirms that no fair use policy may be applied to fixed broadband services or voice services.

The regulation further stipulates that service providers must observe transparency and full clarity in all marketing advertisements for packages and offers, in order to protect users' rights and improve their experience in using the services. These decisions were issued following a study and evaluation of international experiences, an analysis of service providers' comments, and complaints received by the Commission from subscribers. This decision will come into effect immediately from its date of issuance.