Saudi Arabia, 24 February 2020 : Saudi Arabia ranks third globally and first in the Middle East, Europe and North Africa region in the deployment of 5G networks as the Kingdom installed more than 5,797 towers across 30 cities, according to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information first launched the commercial service of 5G technology during the second half of last year.
Speaking on the sidelines of GITEX Dubai last year, the head of Saudi Telecom Co. (STC) confirmed the Kingdom’s plans for the largest 5G commercial rollout in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Advancing the use of the latest technology has been a core part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. During last year’s Hajj pilgrimage, Saudi Arabian officials installed 13,776 cell towers to ensure stable cellphone coverage and 5G technology in Mecca and the Holy sites for pilgrims.
Speaking at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona last year, Saudi Arabia Minister of Communications Abdullah al-Swaha said the Kingdom expects 5G technology to support 45 million new “Internet of things” devices, creating a market worth more than $12 billion by 2030.
At last December’s Saudi Budget 2020 forum, al-Swaha confirmed Saudi Arabia’s ranking of third in global use of 5G technology, while adding that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to provide investment opportunities in the Kingdom worth nearly $10.6 bln (SAR 40 billion).