DAMMAM, 7 April — The growth of the Internet in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf has been hindered by high prices and inaccessibility to certain sites. A US-based study shows that in many countries of the region, information cannot be exchanged freely via the Internet and as a result, the number of Internet users has not risen according to the first expectations. The study also showed that in many countries where “objectionable” sites were blocked, Net users nevertheless gained access to them.
Just before the Internet was launched in the Kingdom in February 1998, the president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saleh Abdul Rahman Al-Athel, addressed a group of Eastern Province businessmen. “A standing committee has been formed and approved by the government to protect society from material on the Internet that violates Islam or goes against our traditions and culture,” he told them.
He said the committee would determine which sites were immoral or contrary to Saudi traditions and would bar subscribers from accessing those sites. “Because there are unsuitable sites on the Internet, we have created a mechanism to keep them out. We have programs, software, and hardware that prevent the entry of material that corrupts or harms our Muslim values, traditions, and culture. We have also erected a ‘fire wall’ to prevent anyone from accessing our sites. This is why we have not rushed into providing Internet service. We first wanted to make sure we eliminated all negative aspects of the Internet.”
What Al-Athel said not only reflected the policy of the government but also the sentiments of millions of Muslims and Saudis who were skeptical about an unchecked flow of information which could have a negative impact. At the same time, the KACST president never meant that random blocking of sites would occur. In a meeting with the media, he reaffirmed KACST’s determination to review blocked sites periodically; KACST also invited users to express their opinions about blocked sites so that decisions could be reviewed. What has happened, however, is that there have been few reviews and many sites which feature neither pornographic nor anti-Islamic contents materials are also blocked. The public drew the conclusion that the sites were blocked on instructions from KACST.
The second factor obstructing Internet growth in the Kingdom is the high price paid for access. The fact is that the Kingdom’s prices are among the highest in the world. Saudi Arabia has had an Internet connection since 1994 but it was originally restricted to academic, medical, and research institutions. Saudi citizens and residents were free, however, to purchase computers and modems and could connect to the Internet by dialing foreign ISPs. This of course was too expensive and so in November 1998 the government approved applications from some 40 companies seeking to provide Internet services. One thing was made very clear to all: ISPs operating in the Kingdom would be linked to a main server at KACST which would be the country’s sole gateway to the World Wide Web.
No doubt present ISP rates have come down but both experts and ISPs say that it must come down even more if the Internet base is to be expanded further. Telephone charges for Internet connections are also among the highest in the world. Although Saudi Telecom Company has cut its price from the previous rate of SR4.5 per hour, both ISPs and Net users say that it must be cut even more. Most countries either do not charge for local calls or have very nominal rates; STC should therefore follow international trends.
One ISP said, “Almost every country is slashing its telecommunication charges. STC has followed suit in many sectors such as mobile phone rates, international call rates and landline rates. It is now time for a review of its pricing for Internet telephone connections.”
Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Al-Maeena, in a recent article, called for a national plan for the IT sector. He asked where Saudi Arabia was headed in information technology. Certainly Saudi Arabia needs a comprehensive IT plan and a definite direction.
