Communications and Information Technology Commission provides wireless voice and internet services to (1,569) villages and hamlets under its latest projects

In light of the generous support and gracious directives from the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques regarding the provision of communications and information technology services to all population clusters throughout the Kingdom, the Communications and Information Technology Commission, represented by the Universal Service Fund, completed serving (1,569) villages and hamlets included in its ninth, tenth, and eleventh projects by the end of July 2015, through the universal service provider "Saudi Telecom Company," by delivering communications services with the required quality (mobile voice service and internet service at a speed of no less than 512 kilobits per second).

It is worth noting that the agreements for these projects were signed in December of last year, 2014, and aim to provide communications services to a number of villages and hamlets in 39 governorates in each of Madinah region, Hail region, Jazan region, Asir region, and Tabuk region, with the total number of targeted population clusters in these projects reaching 9,599 clusters inhabited by 1,742,000 people.

Despite the vast geographical area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which represents a major challenge in this regard, the Communications and Information Technology Commission's opportunities in its efforts to spread services throughout the Kingdom have doubled after the establishment of a Universal Service Fund aimed at delivering communications services with the required quality (fixed or mobile voice service and internet service at a speed of no less than 512 kilobits per second) inside the buildings of the targeted population clusters (centers, villages, and hamlets), whose population ranges between 100 to 5,000 people, targeting commercially unviable clusters that lack the required communications services. The Fund also provides what is known as the "universal access obligation," which is providing communications services with the required quality outside the buildings of the targeted population clusters with a population of less than 100 people, so that they can be reached within a distance not exceeding 10 km.

It is worth noting that the commitment of the Fund's service providers towards population clusters in the targeted governorates does not end once the project implementation is complete, as the Fund's service agreement is for two Gregorian years, during which the project is implemented, services are provided to the targeted population clusters, the quality and availability of the provided services are monitored, and any complaints received by the Commission regarding these clusters are addressed. The service of the population clusters in the targeted governorates then becomes part of the service provider's obligations.