"The Communications and Information Technology Commission" Tracks Sector Developments in the Eighth Issue of Its Electronic Newsletter

The Communications and Information Technology Commission today, Wednesday 16 Shawwal 1432H, released the eighth issue of its quarterly electronic newsletter concerned with tracking the most important developments in the telecommunications and IT sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the end of the first half of 2011.

The newsletter, issued in both Arabic and English, reviewed the latest performance indicator figures for the telecommunications and IT sector for the first half of 2011 in the Kingdom, reviewing in this context the number of mobile telecommunications subscriptions and the number of internet users, in addition to tracking broadband penetration rates. It also addressed subscriber service mechanisms and service quality with companies during its consultative meetings, in addition to reviewing the terms and provisions of the number portability activation agreement recently signed by mobile telecom companies under the Commission's supervision.

The newsletter stated that the number of mobile telecommunications subscriptions reached approximately 54.8 million by the end of the first half of 2011, with prepaid subscriptions comprising the vast majority of these subscriptions at nearly 87%, making the mobile telecommunications penetration rate among the population approximately 195%.

In terms of fixed telecommunications, the number of active fixed telephone lines by the end of the first half of 2011 reached approximately 4.49 million lines, of which approximately 3.37 million were residential lines, representing approximately 75% of total active lines. Accordingly, the fixed telephone penetration rate among the population was approximately 16%, while the penetration rate among households stood at around 68.9%.

The newsletter detailed the growth and penetration rates in broadband services, which reached approximately 33% at the household level, while total broadband subscriptions via mobile telecommunications networks, in their broad definition, reached approximately 11 million subscriptions.

It is worth noting that this issue of the Communications and Information Technology Commission's electronic newsletter is a quarterly publication concerned with tracking the most important figures and indicators witnessed by the telecommunications and IT sector in the Kingdom, and it is available on the Commission's website — Media Center — Electronic Newsletter.