Kingdom ranks among 10 best countries in internet speed, says minister

Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said the digital infrastructure is the life of remote business amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He stressed that the Kingdom spared no effort in supporting the digital sector, given that it is the main source of the future jobs and markets.

During the 2021 Budget Forum, Alswaha said the Kingdom ranks among the 10 best countries in internet speed, noting that it was previously not among the 100 best countries in 2017 as the frequency spectrum increased from 260 GHz to 1,100 GHz.

He added that investments in the sector started with a stimulus package worth SAR 9 billion, and the partnership with the private sector reached more than SAR 55 billion, which helped the digital infrastructure overcome challenges.

The Kingdom's future is based on three main pillars; namely preservation and enhancement of the national gains, growth of promising markets in digital payments, artificial intelligence and e-commerce, and opening of new markets, the minister said.

He added that the structure reforms as well as investment in infrastructure, assets and young people helped the Kingdom to be among the G20, highlighting the country's great successes in digital payments which resulted in 20 companies supporting entrepreneurs and small enterprises to continue their business at curfew time.