Saudi telcos ordered to extend coverage to rural areas within 60 days

Saudi Arabia’s mobile operators were directed to extend network coverage across the Kingdom’s rural areas within a maximum of 60 days, minister of communications and information technology and chairman of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Abdullah Al-Sawaha, said.

All mobile firms were required to ensure the availability of local roaming services and network sharing in 21,000 villages and rural areas, representing 16 percent of the Kingdom's total population.

The move aims to ensure the sustainability of all basic, high-quality telecommunications and internet services by all mobile operators to the citizens and visitors of these areas, Al-Sawaha added.