Minister of Communications and Information Technology Heads the Kingdom's Delegation at the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference

His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Engineer Mohammed Jameel bin Ahmed Mulla, headed the Kingdom's delegation participating in the 2014 Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union, held in the city of Busan, Republic of South Korea, from October 20 to November 7, 2014. His Excellency the Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, Engineer Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Darrab, also participates in this conference as deputy head of the delegation, along with a number of Commission specialists.

The conference, opened by Her Excellency the President of the Republic of South Korea, is the highest authority in the International Telecommunication Union and is responsible for setting general policies to achieve its objectives, and adopting the strategic and financial plan for the next four years, in addition to electing the Union's senior management leadership.

In a speech he delivered at this conference, His Excellency the Minister of Communications explained that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognized the importance of the communications and information technology sector early on, giving it great attention when it adopted the privatization program aimed at raising the efficiency of the national economy and increasing its competitiveness by liberalizing communications service markets and opening the door to competition, to provide advanced communications and information technology services throughout the Kingdom comprehensively, with high quality, and at reasonable prices; adding that the sector in the Kingdom has, as a result, witnessed important developments and changes over the past years represented in the development of regulatory policies and legislation, and then the expansion of communications and information technology service markets to include new and advanced services that meet the needs of beneficiaries, whether individuals, the business sector, or the government sector.

His Excellency also affirmed in his speech that the Kingdom joined the Union's membership in 1949, and its Council since 1965. The Kingdom actively participates in all its activities related to standardization, development, and frequency spectrum, and holds a number of leadership positions, whether as chairman or vice chairman, in some study groups or working groups affiliated with the Union's Council.

It is noted that this conference is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in cooperation with the Korean government, and is attended by more than 2,500 participants from among the world's top communications and information technology policymakers, including ministers, ambassadors, and government delegates, and representatives from the private sector, alongside regional and international organizations.