Saudi to provide 60,000 additional free wifi points, including at the two Holy Mosques

A new initiative has been launched in Saudi Arabia to provide 60,000 free wifi hotspots in some public locations across the kingdom, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) announced.

The initiative, which is being implemented in collaboration with the kingdom’s telecom providers, will see free wifi provided at hospitals, malls, public parks and the two Holy Mosques.

Each service provider can grant free access to the public wifi network for a period of up to two hours per day to a large number of visitors in public places across the country, the CITC said in a statement.

CITC has worked with telecom providers to implement the initiative through several phases, and will continue to oversee its execution.

The current phase includes unifying the network name for these free wifi points, facilitating user entry, and providing coverage maps that showcase all free wifi points across the country.

تعزيزًا للتحول إلى مجتمع رقمي؛ #هيئة_الاتصالات تطلق مبادرة لتقديم 60 ألف نقطة واي فاي إضافية مجانية. #لنصل_الوطن_بالمستقبلhttps://t.co/xVoKQbhsx6 pic.twitter.com/PSmvuLQ5QR

— هيئة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات (@CITC_SA) November 15, 2020

CITC governor Dr. Mohammad bin Saud Al-Tamimi stated: “This initiative reflects the development of the ICT infrastructure in the kingdom and contributes to achieving CITC’s strategic mission to enable the kingdom’s transformation into a digital society.”

Technology is a fundamental pillar of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, with the kingdom investing heavily in boosting its ICT sector.

Read: Global Exclusive: How tech event LEAP aims to transform Saudi’s ICT landscape