Communications in Saudi Arabia
Encyclopedia
Telephone
s - main lines in use:
3,317,550 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
21,500,000 (2007)
note:
In 2004, the Saudi Telecom Company
(STC) monopolization was broken by authorizing Etihad Etisalat/Mobily
to compete in mobile communication, in June 2009 GO Telecom (Etihad Atheeb Telecom)
or "جو" also entered the market.
Digital Radio Trunking
- 100,000 (Unofficial):
In late 2005, bravO! Telecom
was launched as the country's digital radio trunking operator under a B.O.T agreement with the incumbent operator STC, with an estimated 100,000 subscribers as of Nov'07.
Telephone system:
modern system
domestic:
extensive microwave radio relay and coaxial and fiber-optic cable systems
international:
microwave radio relay to Bahrain
, Jordan
, Kuwait
, Qatar
, UAE
, Yemen
, and Sudan
; coaxial cable to Kuwait
and Jordan
; submarine cable to Djibouti
, Egypt
and Bahrain
; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat
(3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat
(Indian Ocean
region)
Radio
broadcast stations:
AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
6.25 million (1997)
Television
broadcast stations:
117 (1997)
Televisions:
5.1 million (1997)
Internet
Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2005)
Internet
Users:
4,800,000 (December 2006)
Country code (Top level domain): .sa
Saudi Post
has become available since 2001. As part of its monopoly on all methods of communication
in Saudi Arabia
, the Saudi Telecom Company
is the only complete provider, though several ISPs are available, with the permission of STC
.
STC
is the only provider for telephone lines in Saudi Arabia
. For this reason customers have to pay two fees, one to STC
for activation of the ADSL service across the telephone line, and a second to an ISP to provide Internet service across the ADSL line. STC
has been highly criticized for their service in providing ADSL access as customers had to wait many months to receive ADSL service on their phone lines. In 2006, STC had invested in increasing the size of their ADSL infrastructure and since then the wait times had improved, but many customers are still on waiting lists.
As of 2011, the maximum Internet
speed available is currently 100 Mbit/s.
As of October 2006, the 20 Internet service provider
s in Saudi Arabia
became connected through "Data service provider" -licensed companies, such as Saudi Telecom Company
. The ISPs were previously connected through KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology)
, who was also responsible for DNS
and filtering traffic. Since October 2006 the Communications and Information Technology Commission is responsible for DNS
and filtering services.
There are several reasons for the service being unpopular, in particular the unreasonably expensive prices and incompetent low-quality service. Perhaps this was proved when STC submitted a request to enter neighboring Egypt
as a provider and was refused due to lack of experience, staff, equipments and such.
In late 2005 it was announced that a company by the name of Electronet would start providing broadband connections through electric lines by mid 2006. However as of early 2009 the service has not been implemented and the company's website has been idle for years. Some of the developed countries are having trouble implementing internet connections via power lines so it is highly unlikely this technology will ever appear in Saudi Arabia. Electrone is dissolved
There are huge public complaints about the Internet services in Saudi Arabia
all of which falls on deaf ears since there is no reason or force pressuring the monopoly.
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s - main lines in use:
3,317,550 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
21,500,000 (2007)
note:
In 2004, the Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
(STC) monopolization was broken by authorizing Etihad Etisalat/Mobily
Mobily
Mobily is the trade name of Saudi Arabia's second Telecommunications company, Etihad-Etisalat consortium . The company, as the winning bidder for Saudi Arabia's second GSM licence, provides mobile telecom services nationwide, breaking Saudi Telecom's monopoly in the wireless business...
to compete in mobile communication, in June 2009 GO Telecom (Etihad Atheeb Telecom)
GO Telecom (Etihad Atheeb Telecom)
GO جو Telecom got approval for its license from the Communications and Information Technology Commission on 19 May 2007 to provide advanced fixed line services in the Kingdom...
or "جو" also entered the market.
Digital Radio Trunking
Trunked radio system
A trunked radio system is a complex type of computer-controlled radio system. Trunked systems use a few channels , and can have virtually unlimited talkgroups. The control channel computer sends packets of data to enable one talkgroup to talk together, regardless of frequency...
- 100,000 (Unofficial):
In late 2005, bravO! Telecom
Bravo Telecom
BRAVO-TELECOM is a digital radio trunking operator in Russia under a B.O.T agreement with the incumbent operator STC. It was launched in third quarter of 2005 using Motorola's proprietary iDEN technology operating on the SMR-800 frequency band....
was launched as the country's digital radio trunking operator under a B.O.T agreement with the incumbent operator STC, with an estimated 100,000 subscribers as of Nov'07.
Telephone system:
modern system
domestic:
extensive microwave radio relay and coaxial and fiber-optic cable systems
international:
microwave radio relay to Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, UAE
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
; coaxial cable to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
; submarine cable to Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat
Intelsat
Intelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...
(3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat
Inmarsat
Inmarsat plc is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services. It provides telephony and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate to ground stations through eleven geostationary telecommunications satellites...
(Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
region)
Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcast stations:
AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
6.25 million (1997)
Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast stations:
117 (1997)
Televisions:
5.1 million (1997)
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2005)
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
Users:
4,800,000 (December 2006)
Country code (Top level domain): .sa
.sa
.sa is the Latin alphabet Internet country code top-level domain of Saudi Arabia. Domains of this type can be registered through SaudiNIC, a department of the Communication & Information Technology Commission...
Saudi Post
Saudi Post
The Ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone functioning under the brand name Saudi Post , is a government operated postal system in Saudi Arabia; it is generally referred to within kingdom as "Bareed"....
Broadband Internet access
An ADSL service in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
has become available since 2001. As part of its monopoly on all methods of communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, the Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
is the only complete provider, though several ISPs are available, with the permission of STC
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
.
STC
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
is the only provider for telephone lines in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. For this reason customers have to pay two fees, one to STC
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
for activation of the ADSL service across the telephone line, and a second to an ISP to provide Internet service across the ADSL line. STC
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
has been highly criticized for their service in providing ADSL access as customers had to wait many months to receive ADSL service on their phone lines. In 2006, STC had invested in increasing the size of their ADSL infrastructure and since then the wait times had improved, but many customers are still on waiting lists.
As of 2011, the maximum Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
speed available is currently 100 Mbit/s.
| Speed | Rate |
|---|---|
| 128 kbit/s | 99 S.A.R (26.39$) |
| 256 kbit/s | 149 S.A.R (39.73$) |
| 512 kbit/s | 199 S.A.R (53.06$) |
| 1 Mbit/s | 211 S.A.R (56.26$) |
| 2 Mbit/s | 222 S.A.R (59.19$) |
| 4 Mbit/s | 244 S.A.R (65.06$) |
| 8 Mbit/s to 20 Mbit/s | 296 S.A.R (78.93$) |
| 100 Mbit/s | 499 S.A.R (133.06$) |
As of October 2006, the 20 Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
became connected through "Data service provider" -licensed companies, such as Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Company
Saudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
. The ISPs were previously connected through KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology)
King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is an organization established in 1977 as the Saudi Arabian National Center for Science & Technology ; in 1985, it was renamed King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.In 1984, it named Abdul Rahman Al-Athel as its...
, who was also responsible for DNS
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
and filtering traffic. Since October 2006 the Communications and Information Technology Commission is responsible for DNS
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
and filtering services.
There are several reasons for the service being unpopular, in particular the unreasonably expensive prices and incompetent low-quality service. Perhaps this was proved when STC submitted a request to enter neighboring Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
as a provider and was refused due to lack of experience, staff, equipments and such.
In late 2005 it was announced that a company by the name of Electronet would start providing broadband connections through electric lines by mid 2006. However as of early 2009 the service has not been implemented and the company's website has been idle for years. Some of the developed countries are having trouble implementing internet connections via power lines so it is highly unlikely this technology will ever appear in Saudi Arabia. Electrone is dissolved
There are huge public complaints about the Internet services in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
all of which falls on deaf ears since there is no reason or force pressuring the monopoly.
See also
- Sahara Net
- Integrated Telecom Company
- Saudi Telecom CompanySaudi Telecom CompanySaudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
- bravO! TelecomBravo TelecomBRAVO-TELECOM is a digital radio trunking operator in Russia under a B.O.T agreement with the incumbent operator STC. It was launched in third quarter of 2005 using Motorola's proprietary iDEN technology operating on the SMR-800 frequency band....
- Bayanat Al Oula for Network Services
- Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
- Etihad Etisalat/MobilyMobilyMobily is the trade name of Saudi Arabia's second Telecommunications company, Etihad-Etisalat consortium . The company, as the winning bidder for Saudi Arabia's second GSM licence, provides mobile telecom services nationwide, breaking Saudi Telecom's monopoly in the wireless business...