RIYADH, 12 September 2006 — The Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC), the Kingdom’s top regulatory body for communication and IT services, has announced the publication of the draft proposal of the “National Frequency Plan” in Saudi Arabia for public consultation. The National Frequency Plan (NFP), which is for allocation of the radio frequency spectrum for different radio services and users, will later be approved by the Council of Ministers.
“The Telecommunication Act of Saudi Arabia asserts that the frequency spectrum is a state-owned natural resource and the council of ministers has been vested with the power to approve the NFP for the purpose of achieving optimum utilization of this national resource, in accordance with international and regional agreements, approved regulations and standards,” said Sultan Al-Malik, a CITC spokesman. The CITC has announced that it has concluded the development of the proposed NFP with the intent of ensuring utilization of the frequency spectrum in an effective manner and meeting the current and future needs for all spectrum users. The final proposal is developed on the basis of international radio regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the National Frequency Register, which reflects the current frequency assignments for all spectrum users in Saudi Arabia.
The international experience in use of radio frequency spectrum by various categories of users and the emerging technologies and future trends in telecommunications wireless systems also form the basis of the NFP proposal.
Referring to the principles of clarity, transparency, fairness and non-discrimination adopted by this regulatory body, a CITC’s statement said, “The proposed NFP has been published on CITC’s website (www.citc.gov.sa) in order to solicit opinions of the public and interested stakeholders.” “All comments will be thoroughly studied and taken into consideration in finalizing the document, said the statement. The last date for receiving comments is Nov. 5, 2006.
Referring to the fixed and mobile licensing project, the statement said that the planned licensing was a major milestone in the liberalization of the telecom sector and the CITC was fully committed to issuing the licenses at the earliest. The CITC is in discussion with the concerned government bodies to address the issues related to commercial provisioning fees, percentage of IPO and spectrum availability. An update on the licensing process will be announced on Sept. 30.
