The KSA ranked second globally among the G20 countries in the Digital Riser report 2021,1 recently issued by the European Center for Digital Competitiveness, advancing 20 ranks in the general index compared to the previous year. The report analyzed and ranked 140 countries by their digital competitiveness over the last 3 years. Based on the evaluation criteria, countries implementing public-private partnerships to foster innovation and entrepreneurship come out on top of the list. The leap in ranking reflects the ambition and progress of the KSA’s strategy in developing the country’s telecommunications infrastructure’s digital capabilities as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative.
When the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative was introduced in 2016, there was an increased governmental focus on reducing dependency on oil by diversifying the economy and developing public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism. Several digital programs were administrated under this initiative. Among these are collaborations between service providers and the government to build solid telecommunications infrastructure as part of the National Transformation Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030’s realization programs, enhancing both the fixed and mobile network infrastructure.
The KSA is in a transitional phase where digitalization, supported by a solid network infrastructure build-out, is a national priority for the coming years. As part of this program, during 2018–2020, the digital enabler Saudi Telecom Company (STC) achieved the roll-out of high-speed fixed broadband connections (fiber) to more than 1 million households and provided fixed wireless broadband connectivity to around 500,000 households, connecting more than 2.6 million people in 3,000 remote localities. In addition, the 4G mobile network has undergone extensive modernization and expansion to improve network performance. STC contributed to the deployment of 60,000 Wi-Fi hotspots through its collaboration with the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) to serve public locations, for example, in hospitals, shopping malls and city parks, allowing users 2 hours of free access every day, to further boost digitalization in the KSA.
STC was among the first service providers in the world to launch 5G, with commercial services available since June 2019. It has deployed about 6,200 sites with 5G in 75 cities, in 56 out of 136 governorates. The deployment of 5G networks is a cornerstone of STC’s strategy to improve network performance. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, there was a strong increase in demand for mobile data which quickly surpassed the forecasted data traffic growth. In response, STC accelerated its 5G roll-out pace to raise network capacity and ensure continuity of services and network performance for its customers. In addition, several digital initiatives related to the health care sector – for example facilitating connections between patients and doctors, as well as managing, storing and displaying medical images remotely – were launched to support in curbing the spread of the disease.
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November 30, 2021 at 03:14PM
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STC's network build-out – Mobility Report - Ericsson
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