New Licenses for Fixed and Mobile Services in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has announced plans for liberalising the telecoms market in the Arab nation. The CITC has employed consultants, Arthur D. Little to assist it in a series of public consultations and presentations during the course of this year. This will include consultations on policies to support the development of appropriate strategic options, and fair and transparent eligibility criteria for licensing.

The regulator plans to announce the final plans later this year which will include a breaking of the landline monopoly and at least one more mobile license to add to the two existing operators.

According to The Mobile World - the incumbent GSM network operator, Saudi Telecom ended Q3 2005 with 11.5 million subscribers while new entrant Mobily, had already reached 1 million customers. "

Posted to the site on 13th March 2006