Communications and Information Technology Commission Launches First Phase of the Telecommunications and IT Market Study Project in the Kingdom

The Communications and Information Technology Commission, in partnership with the Research Center at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, has launched the first phase of the telecommunications and IT market study project in the Kingdom, which will cover most of the regions, cities, centers, and villages throughout the Kingdom. Male and female students from various universities across the Kingdom are contributing to the implementation of this project, as they will, in this phase, collect surveys targeting individuals, households, private establishments, government entities, and educational institutions.

This survey study aims to determine the state of development of the telecommunications and IT market in the Kingdom for the next three years — 2014, 2015, and 2016. In this context, it will focus on the development of services and their penetration, the state of investment, the use of technology in the Saudi market, and identifying internet usage patterns and associated habits, satisfaction levels, and barriers to use.

Completing this study will also help build an important reference on the telecommunications and IT sector in the Kingdom, benefiting government entities, private-sector institutions, and individuals at the local level. It will also serve as a vital guide for local and foreign companies interested in investing in the Kingdom, and an important source that strengthens the sector's standing in the Kingdom within the assessments of international institutions and research centers concerned with evaluating and analyzing telecommunications and IT markets and the services provided within them globally.

The Commission calls on all target segments of the study — citizens, residents, government and private establishments, and educational entities — to cooperate with the male and female students, who will carry identification cards for the study project and will collect the surveys using tablet devices. The Commission also calls on everyone to facilitate the task of these students, in order to ensure the achievement of the main objective of this study — namely, developing services and supporting technologies in the telecommunications and IT sector in the Kingdom, and enhancing users' satisfaction with what is provided in it.