RIYADH, 1 March 2004 — The Kingdom is committed to reforms in the telecom sector to ensure affordable quality services, Riyadh Deputy Governor Prince Sattam said here last night.
He was inaugurating the Riyadh International Communications and IT Conference at the King Faisal Conference Hall.
IT and telecommunications experts will deliver lectures on what needs to be done to improve the standards of telecom services in the Kingdom.
Earlier, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Muhammad ibn Jameel Mulla inaugurated an exhibition at the Riyadh Exhibition Center of the latest in information and communication technologies from 11 countries, entitled Saudi Communications 2004.
In his inaugural address, Prince Sattam said privatization of the telecom industry was at the heart of reforms. “The IT sector will continue to have the special attention of the government,” the deputy governor said.
The core objective of the restructuring of the telecom sector and the regulatory measures was to integrate the telecommunications and IT sector to push forward the goal of e-government and e-commerce.
Jameel Mulla said the Kingdom’s national plan for IT was developed by a team of experts drawn from various ministries and government agencies. “We shall draw upon the experience and expertise of various countries to fine-tune our own plan,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at the Riyadh Exhibition Center earlier, the minister admitted that the Saudi Telecom Company will continue to maintain its monopoly in the sector until an overseas company is in a position to challenge it.
“It all depends on how soon the overseas operator of mobile communications services will be in a position to compete effectively against STC,” he said.
Awad Al-Assaf, deputy governor, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), said the commission was putting in place a regulatory framework to streamline the telecom sector. Its goal was not only to bring down the cost of services but also to extend the reach of these services to rural and remote areas.
He vowed there would be transparency in all its operations. The commission has developed an administrative and procedural framework for its licensing, rate setting and other activities. “It will complete the licensing of mobile telephone services and IT providers this year,” Al-Assaf said.
Much-criticized STC had to perform “a balancing act” in catering to the diverse interests of the consumer and the shareholder, while acting in conformity with the governmental regulations, said Abdul Aziz Al-Rashid, the company’s chairman.
