Launch of 5G set to contribute more than $19 bln to Saudi GDP: minister

The launch of 5G is projected to contribute more than $19 billion to Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product (GDP) and create almost 20,000 new jobs by 2030, Saudi Gazette reported, citing Haytham Bin Abdulrahman Al-Ohali, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

“Saudi Arabia is among the pioneering countries in introducing digital transformation and it is in the forefront in activating modern technology by launching 5G,” Al-Ohali said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Jordan.

“The Internet has become every citizen’s right and one of the necessities of life, as its effect has reached every individual in the health, education, work and transport sectors,” he continued.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview with Arab News, Al-Ohali said that the 5G super-fast mobile services will be available in Saudi Arabia within the next few months.

“5G will be launched in Saudi Arabia, either towards the end of Q2 or early Q3, this year,” he added.

“We are in talks with industry groups over the prospect of 5G use for digitization within factories, and is also studying its use in health and education,” Al-Ohali mentioned.

In February, Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Communications and Information Technology, announced the largest 5G commercial roll-out in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – with an additional 400 MHz in mid-band (3.5Ghz) spectrum now being released to commercial operators in March.