"The Communications and Information Technology Commission" Issues Fines Exceeding SAR 6 Million on 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 6 million against a number of service providers found in violation of the Telecommunications Law, including Saudi Telecom Company "STC," Etihad Etisalat Company "Mobily," Saudi Telecom Mobile Company "Zain," Etihad Jawraa Telecom and IT Company "Lebara Mobile," and "Virgin Mobile," in addition to other violators, for committing a number of violations of the Telecommunications Law.

These violations included failure to comply with a number of the Commission's directives on several complaints, failure to comply with the controls for curbing unsolicited (spam) messages in violation of the Telecommunications Law, activating SIM cards in violation of the Telecommunications Law, and failing to provide the Commission with information requested from the company within the specified deadline. They also included using frequencies without obtaining a license, in violation of the Telecommunications Law, damaging public telecommunications networks by cutting communications cables, and possessing communications devices not licensed for use.

The Commission revealed that the Committee for the Review of Violations of the Telecommunications Law imposed financial fines of (SAR 590,000) on Saudi Telecom Company "STC," fines of (SAR 876,000) on Etihad Etisalat Company "Mobily," while the Committee imposed fines of (SAR 60,000) on Saudi Telecom Mobile Company "Zain." The fines issued against Etihad Jawraa Telecom and IT Company "Lebara Mobile" amounted to (SAR 2,572,000), and against "Virgin Mobile" (SAR 152,000), while the total fines issued against a number of other violators amounted to (SAR 2,065,850), affirming that all these fines and the decisions issued regarding them are final.

The Commission also explained that these fines were issued for a number of violations set out in the decisions published on the Commission's website, noting that it continues to monitor telecom companies and to apply the Telecommunications Law to any practices that violate the law, in a manner that guarantees users' rights, protects the public interest, and enhances fair competition among service providers.