10 new women exclusive telecom centers to be opened

RIYADH — The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is supporting the setting up of 10 new women-only telecommunication complexes in different regions of the Kingdom, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Sunday. In a statement to SPA on Sunday, Abulmonem Bin Yassin Al-Shihri, assistant undersecretary for special programs at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, said the ministry supports and encourages businessmen interested in setting up telecom complexes exclusively for women. The ministry also supports and encourages young Saudi men and women to work and invest in the telecommunication sector by facilitating training programs for them in mobile sales, maintenance and client service. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor and Social Development has reported that 95 percent of the telecommunication sector has been Saudized thanks to joint efforts of a number of ministries and public agencies. Labor and Social Development Inspection and Environmental Development Deputy Minister Fahd Al-Uwaidi said that 2,400 mobile repair and sales establishments complied with the Saudization plan during the past 12 days. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development is organizing regular inspection tours to ensure the success of the Saudization plan, he said. “The inspections recorded 511 violations, 447 of the violation cases were forwarded to the committee of penalties. A total of 83 stores were shut down and 64 stores that were already shutdown due to previous violations were issued warning notices. “Illegal expatriates working in the telecommunication sector were deported,” said Al-Uwaidi. Tabuk Labor and Social Development Directorate arrested many expatriates for offering mobile phone repair services from their homes, said Ministry of Labor and Social Development spokesman Khalid Abalkhail. The second phase of Saudization of the telecommunication sector started earlier this month. This phase will see 100 percent Saudization of the telecommunication sector.