Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) announced its intention to enhance the regulatory environment for mobile communications towers. This will be through raising the participation rate of service providers via mergers in the ownership of the towers or their acquisition by interested investors, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

According to the CITC, this move is aimed at reducing the capital and operational costs of towers and achieving their maximum efficiency. This will enable to achieve fair competition between mobile operators, and will enhance the deployment of 5G networks, allowing provision of new services such as the Internet of Things, in addition to raising the quality of services for users.

The goals also include reducing maintenance expenses for these towers, and upgrading the communications and information technology system in the Kingdom. It is noteworthy that the CITC move follows the example of a number of developed countries under which investors can buy, manage and operate the towers, and then lease them to mobile communications companies.