Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

3.6mln Saudi homes under fiber optics coverage, penetration rate crosses 60%

3.6mln Saudi homes under fiber optics coverage, penetration rate crosses 60%

Governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) Dr. Mohammed Altamimi has said the commission is striving to stimulate investment and enhance positive competitiveness in the information technology market and emerging technologies through a solid infrastructure that contributed to covering more than 3.6 million homes in the Kingdom with optical fibers.
Altamimi said the penetration rate exceeded 60 percent of residences, and the number of fixed high-speed internet subscriptions increased to more than 2.3 million by the end of the third quarter of this year. He made the remarks while addressing the 10th Saudi Arabia Smart Grid Conference in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Altamimi said the broadband coverage rate reached 99 percent of the populated areas in the Kingdom, with an average speed exceeding 369 megabits per second. “The penetration rate of mobile communication services rose to 168 percent by the end of the third quarter of 2022, with a growth rate of more than 20 percent compared to the same period last year,” he said.

The CST chief highlighted the efforts made by the commission in the digital infrastructure that supports the applications of emerging technologies such as smart networks by spreading the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology network in the Kingdom through more than 20,000 towers that support this technology with a coverage rate of more than 95 percent of urban areas. It provides the ability to connect more than 500 million IoT devices in the Kingdom.

Altamimi said the commission is still making efforts to create a regulatory environment that stimulates the adoption of emerging technologies, as the Information Technology and Emerging Technologies Strategy (BOOST) was launched in 2020 with ambitious targets to bridge the identified main gaps based on extensive surveys of the supply and demand sides of the market.

He also pointed out the launch of 16 regulatory initiatives, most notably the launch of the experimental regulatory environment for emerging technologies, which aims to enhance the positioning of innovative and promising business models that rely on emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, and cloud computing.

According to the CST chief, the commission is also working on more than 33 enabling projects, such as the initiative to support the listing of local technology companies in the financial market, where a number of awareness workshops were held in partnership with Tadawul, which contributed to the listing of nine new information technology companies, with a growth rate of up to 400 percent compared to last year, in addition to stimulating the cloud computing market.

He noted that the number of entities registered with the commission to provide cloud computing services has reached 31, an increase of three times over last year, including three global computing companies or hyperscalers.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×