International Telecommunication Union: The Kingdom Among the First Countries in the World to Open Broadband for Fiber Optic Services

The United Nations agency specialized in communications and information technology (the International Telecommunication Union) classified the Kingdom as one of the first countries in the world to open broadband for fiber optic services, commending its efforts in opening broadband and deploying its services, in a report published by the International Telecommunication Union on its website, commenting on an agreement overseen by the Communications and Information Technology Commission between all communications and information technology companies that own infrastructure and provide fiber optic services in the Kingdom.

The international organization's report revealed that the Kingdom is among the first countries in the world to conclude an agreement bringing together all companies owning fiber optic network infrastructure (Saudi Telecom, Mobily, Integrated Telecom, and Dawiyat) and all companies providing service to end users (Saudi Telecom, Mobily, Zain, Integrated Telecom, Atheeb) to open the way for using the infrastructure and serving users through it, allowing the user to choose the company providing fiber optic service regardless of who owns the infrastructure.

The international agency's report noted the business model adopted to lead the technical, legal, and commercial discussions necessary for the success of more than (10) bilateral agreements involving infrastructure owners and service providers, stressing the importance of the regulations issued by the Commission in this field to ensure the activation of the agreement, including the "Rules and Guidelines for Providing Wholesale Services Using the Fiber Optic Network" adopted by the Communications and Information Technology Commission in the Kingdom last November.

It is noted that the Communications and Information Technology Commission launched, on Sunday, February 23, 2020, the fixed communications network broadband opening agreement under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Chairman of the Commission's Board of Directors, Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, and in the presence of His Excellency the Governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, and chairmen of the boards and CEOs of telecom companies.