Governor of Makkah Region Launches 5G Service in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Holy Sites

His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Region, Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, launched at the Emirate headquarters in Jeddah, the 5G service in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Holy Sites, attended by His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, to provide quality services to the guests of God during this year's Hajj season, and the second phase of the "Smart Hajj" initiative, which aims to provide innovative services to pilgrims of the Sacred House of God through a number of applications and platforms offering digital services and awareness.

Prince Khalid Al-Faisal expressed his happiness at launching this technical system, noting that such services contribute to facilitating the journey of the guests of God, and His Highness said, "Today is one of the happiest days of my life as I see the first steps of our ambition for Makkah Al-Mukarramah region to be smart," with these words His Highness responded to the promise of His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, that Makkah, Jeddah, and Taif would become smart cities in 2022 as a first phase.

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology presented a detailed report including the Ministry's preparations and new programs for this year's Hajj season, most notably what the Ministry, represented by the Communications and Information Technology Commission and telecom companies, has done to enhance the network and provide technical and human equipment to accommodate the waves of pilgrims arriving at the Holy Sites, in addition to reviewing the operational plan for the communications and information technology sector, alongside technical and technological preparations.

His Excellency the Minister Abdullah Al-Swaha noted that His Highness's launch of 5G technology in Makkah Al-Mukarramah means the establishment of 37 5G stations distributed across the central area and in the Holy Sites, where this network, in addition to 4G networks, will work to achieve the highest degrees of coverage and ultra-fast speed, which will in turn contribute to enriching the digital experience of the guests of God, noting that this comes within the framework of the efforts made by the communications and information technology sector, coinciding with the efforts of all relevant government and private sectors, all aimed at providing the best means to facilitate the performance of rituals for the guests of God.

The launch of the second phase of the "Smart Hajj" initiative comes as an extension of the Ministry's innovative efforts during last year's Hajj season, which reached more than 96 million people in the Arab world, and touched more than 250,000 pilgrims, as this year's initiative included quality services including a voluntary training platform to train those aspiring to and working in serving pilgrims, a virtual reality platform to train pilgrims from abroad on performing the rituals, in addition to a smartphone applications platform that makes it easier for pilgrims of the Sacred House of God to benefit from a number of applications during their spiritual journey.