RIYADH — The newly established Supreme Commission for Communications is undertaking market research to determine what new products or services are warranted by the Kingdom’s telecommunications sector. This was disclosed to Arab News by Mohammed Jameel Mulla, deputy minister of PTT, following the inauguration of SaudiCom 2002 by Minister of PTT Khaled Al-Gosaibi.
More than 300 national and international companies are participating in the exhibition that features the leading edge of telecommunications technology. The minister, accompanied by senior officials from the Saudi Telecom Co., toured the exhibition complex.
The deputy minister said the SCC, the official authority to regulate the telecom sector, will be responsible for dealing with competition and monitoring the market. Earlier, he spoke about the exhibition which, he said, brings the latest technology and services under one roof.
Describing the Kingdom’s telecommunications sector as highly sophisticated, Mulla said: "I would encourage investment in this sector, especially when we throw it open to overseas investors. A decision to this effect has already been taken. The only thing that remains is to decide when the implementation of the plan should begin."
STC Vice President Saud Al-Dweish said the company’s products and services have been well received. The number of subscribers for the GSM service stood at 2.5 million, which was double the customer base last year. They were also reducing the mobile phone charges under a phased plan. "There will also be package services to our customers as well as an ongoing review of prices as part of our strategy to enhance market penetration."
He said the demand for upgrading family mobiles to regular GSM phones was highly encouraging, with over 2,000 units being upgraded on a daily basis. The offer had gone down well particularly with expatriates, who could pay an additional SR500 for upgrading family mobiles into regular mobiles and SR1,000 for an international mobile phone service.
Michael Craft, president of Lucent Technologies’ Middle East Operations, said their Next Generation Network which they are launching at the show, is in response to the demand of the STC for the latest networking solutions.
He said the market was set for a major expansion over the next five years as STC would be investing in the next generation of landlines network. "It’s very important to them, as this is where their main revenue stream will come from."
Ericsson pitched in with its MD 110 networking solution that provides the core infrastructure for a business communications system.
"By incorporating our renowned expertise in switching and networking, the MD 110 system provides a powerful and scaleable platform for a communications network to match the organization’s needs," an Ericsson spokesman told Arab News.
