"The Communications and Information Technology Commission" Issues Financial Fines Exceeding SAR 40 Million Against Violators of the Telecommunications Law

The Communications and Information Technology Commission has published, via its website, a set of decisions issued by the Committee for the Review of Violations of the Telecommunications Law, which included penalties in the form of financial fines exceeding SAR 40 million against a number of violators of the Telecommunications Law, including Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), Saudi Telecom Mobile Company (Zain), and Etihad Jawraa (Lebara), for committing a number of violations of the Telecommunications Law.

The Commission explained that the Committee for the Review of Violations of the Telecommunications Law imposed financial fines on Saudi Telecom Company (STC) amounting to (SAR 31,353,000), on Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) amounting to (SAR 1,197,000), on Saudi Telecom Mobile Company (Zain) amounting to (SAR 996,000), and on Etihad Jawraa (Lebara) amounting to (SAR 366,000), while other violators were fined a total of (SAR 6,163,750).

The Commission revealed that these fines resulted from a number of violations, including offering promotional deals in violation of the Commission's decisions, using frequencies without obtaining a license from the Commission, failing to comply with the Commission's decisions on a number of user complaints, activating SIM cards in violation of regulations, failing to provide the Commission with requested information within specified deadlines, damaging public telecommunications networks by cutting a communications cable, sending unsolicited (spam) messages in violation of the Telecommunications Law, and providing SMS services without obtaining a license from the Commission.

It is worth noting that "the Communications and Information Technology Commission" works to strengthen mechanisms for protecting users' rights and to stimulate competitiveness in the sector's markets through numerous mechanisms, including applying relevant laws, regulations and decisions and monitoring their implementation by all service providers and other obligated parties, and protecting markets from non-compliant practices.