"The Communications and Information Technology Commission" Warns Against Supplying and Selling Non-Compliant Communication Devices

The Communications and Information Technology Commission has warned communication device suppliers against supplying, distributing, and selling devices that do not comply with the specifications approved by the Commission, including unlicensed communication devices and non-compliant network booster devices, calling on violators to return the non-compliant devices to their sources or destroy them, to avoid the penalties and financial fines set to apply after the end of the deadline specified on 5-7-2021.

The Commission noted the launch of inspection campaigns in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority in telecommunications and IT markets, covering points of sale and warehouses in various regions of the Kingdom, to detect and seize non-compliant communication devices and take penalties and regulatory action against violators after the deadline expires, which may reach SAR 25 million under the Telecommunications Law.

The Commission explained that non-compliant communication devices cause serious harm to the quality of telecommunications, as non-compliant network boosters cause radio interference that negatively affects mobile telecommunications services, and also cause a decline in service levels for users near these non-compliant devices.

It is worth noting that the Communications and Information Technology Commission provides, via its website, a device licensing service through which manufacturers and suppliers of telecommunications and IT devices can verify their devices' conformity with technical specifications before importing them into the Kingdom or manufacturing them. The Commission has also developed the telecommunications and IT device licensing system to provide all related services electronically.