Communications and Information Technology Commission: Tomorrow marks the end of the 30-day deadline for compliance with transparency and clarity in packages and offers

Tomorrow, Thursday corresponding to 2/12/1438H, marks the end of the thirty-day period granted by the Communications and Information Technology Commission to all telecommunications service providers to comply with the rules of transparency and clarity in marketing packages and offers, as well as compliance with regulating the fair use policy should service providers wish to apply it, and that failure to clarify the fair use policy for packages that include this policy means they are unrestricted, and the service provider applying the fair use policy in this case will be found in violation.

Stemming from its role in promoting fair competition and protecting the public interest and the interests of users, the Commission's Board of Directors, during its meeting held on Sunday, 29 Shawwal 1438H at the Commission's headquarters, chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, had approved decisions related to absolute transparency in packages and offers and regulating the fair use policy.

The new regulation stipulated the cancellation of all current fair use policy practices on unlimited internet packages applied by service providers to users, due to service providers' failure to comply with full clarity and absolute transparency. In the event a fair use policy is applied to any current or future offer or package, compliance with the minimum fair use threshold according to the following table is required:

Service type

Minimum fair use threshold

Internet packages using voice SIM cards

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

Internet packages using data SIM cards

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

The new regulation also included confirmation that no fair use policy shall be applied to fixed broadband services or voice services, as well as the necessity for service providers to commit to transparency and full clarity in all marketing advertisements for packages and offers; to protect users' rights, and improve the service usage experience.

It is worth mentioning that these decisions were issued after a study and evaluation of international experiences, an analysis of service providers' input, and subscriber complaints received by the Commission.