CITC-SAUDI-ARABIA
19.12.2019 16:25:10 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Riyadh is set to become the Arab world’s first ever digital capital city. The announcement was revealed at the 23rd session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information Technology, which took place on December 18 at The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Saudi Arabia’s capital.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191219005518/en/
The decision to name Riyadh the Arab Digital Capital follows the city’s prominent role in adopting and promoting the use of digital technologies to enhance socio-economic development, advance healthcare, improve education, and to ultimately increase community welfare, which helped to elevate the ICT sector's contribution to GDP to 4%. The Kingdom also climbed 16 places in World Economic Forum’s Global Competitive Index 2019 in terms of ICT adoption, and topped in the ease of doing business ranking according to the World Bank’s 2020 report.
The ‘Arab Digital Capital’ initiative seeks to encourage the creation of a stimulating ecosystem for investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), activate initiatives that develop knowledge within the ICT industry across Arab countries, and to adopt new initiatives that facilitate and enhance tech entrepreneurship in the Arab region.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha extended congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. He hailed the great and unlimited support to the sector by the Kingdom’s good government, which highlighted it regionally and internationally. He also emphasized the acknowledgment as an addition added to the record of the Saudi ICT sector’s march, which has advanced the country’s digital infrastructure making it eligible for obtaining this title and precedence. This came in a keynote speech at the announcement ceremony attended by the Secretary-General of International Telecommunication Union, relevant Ministers, Arab Ambassadors to Riyadh and a number of interested ICT professionals and specialists.
Saudi Arabia is the region’s largest ICT market and ranks 13th globally, with a value of $28.7 billion in 2019 and strong growth in both the consumer and enterprise segments. Supported by a young and tech-savvy population, Saudi Arabia is a market of early technology adopters, with one of the highest social media penetrations in the world. Mobile subscribers stood at 43.8 million in 2019, representing a 129% penetration of the total population.
Following the launch of Vision 2030, the last few years have seen a significant acceleration in the proliferation of digital transformation initiatives. In 2019, Saudi Arabia was second among G20 countries for radio spectrum liberalization, with a subsequent positive impact on the quality of digital services provided by local operators experienced.
Supported by a 93% internet user penetration versus the global average of 53%, Saudi Arabia also became the first adopter of commercial 5G technology in the Middle East and North Africa, and the third largest globally – an achievement that is set to boost the adoption of other digitalization trends characterizing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In parallel, the Kingdom is the 5th G20 country in internet speed, and jumped 91 places from 105th to 14th in the relevant global rankings, with a 51.8Mbps average speed.
Earlier this year, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) launched a five-year strategy aimed at accelerating the sector’s growth by 50% and elevating its contribution to GDP by $13.3 billion. Despite the global trend towards job disruption as a consequence of digitalization, the MCIT’s technology localization initiatives have significantly increased the ICT sector’s employment capacity in 2019.
The “Arab Digital Capital” award is a recognition of Saudi Arabia’s achievements in the ICT sector and is set to provide an even greater impetus to the country’s already busy regional and international agenda in the coming year. As the only Arab nation represented in the G20, Saudi Arabia will be hosting the G20 meetings throughout 2020, under the theme “Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All.” The G20 Leaders Summit will take place on November 20-21, 2020 in Riyadh, the newly nominated Digital Capital of the Arab World.
Editor’s Note: new website for Riyadh Arab Digital Capital 2020 is at www.adcapitals.org
*Source: AETOSWire
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191219005518/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
From Network Automation to Agentic NetOps: NetBrain Sets the Standard for Deploying AI in Network Operations29.5.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Newest expansion of the NetBrain platform delivers Agent Skills, AI Path Doctor, MCP Server, and expanded cross-domain integrations, extending the agentic capabilities already running in production at hundreds of enterprises. NetBrain Technologies, Inc. today announced major new platform features that advance Agentic NetOps from an emerging category to operational reality. NetBrain's clients are already deploying agents that are diagnosing and remediating issues across complex multi-vendor enterprise networks. These new features further extend the platform with new agent tooling, cross-domain context, and open interfaces for the broader agentic enterprise. Early customer outcomes show the magnitude of the shift: A leading health insurer used NetBrain's Deep Diagnosis agent to diagnose and resolve a weeks old VPN connectivity issue in under five minutes. A large manufacturer resolved a critical device issue with a single prompt, isolating the root cause across the network path in under
Adtran resolves long-running patent litigation, reinforcing commitment to defend innovation29.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
News summary: Non-practicing entity litigation continues to create costly, time-consuming pressure across the technology industry Adtran has reached a full settlement following counterclaims, with payment made to Adtran and all claims dismissed with prejudice Outcome reflects Adtran’s commitment to defend its innovations, customers and business against meritless patent assertions Adtran today announced it has resolved a patent litigation matter, resulting in a full settlement and dismissal of all claims with prejudice. The case, initiated in 2020 by a non-practicing entity asserting five patents, was transferred to the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in 2021 following a successful motion by Adtran. Adtran subsequently filed counterclaims, including bad-faith patent assertion under Alabama statutory law. The settlement includes payment to Adtran to resolve its counterclaims. Terms of the agreement remain confidential. “This outcome reflects a disciplined and consi
Meiji Seika Pharma Invests in GHIC’s Global Health Security Fund29.5.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press release
Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and Representative Director: Toshiaki Nagasato) today announced that it has committed to invest in the Global Health Security Fund (GHSF), which is sponsored by Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC), a New York-based nonprofit organization. Through this investment, Meiji Seika Pharma will support the acceleration of innovations addressing critical global health challenges, including pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). GHIC is a mission‑driven nonprofit organization that deploys private investment strategies to generate both global health impact and financial returns. GHIC recently closed its second fund in GHSF. With more than a decade of experience investing in the field of infectious disease, GHIC has contributed to addressing major global health challenges. Its portfolio companies have successfully commercialized more than a dozen products, collectively reaching over 600 million people wo
IFF Enters Into Agreement to Sell Its Food Ingredients Business to CVC29.5.2026 12:50:00 CEST | Press release
Transaction advances portfolio transformation, sharpens focus on higher-growth, higher-margin businesses, strengthens balance sheet, and enhances value creation for shareholders IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and health and biosciences, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Food Ingredients business to funds advised by CVC Capital Partners, a leading global private markets manager, in a transaction that values the business at approximately $4.3 billion, representing an enterprise value-to-EBITDA multiple of approximately 10x. As part of the transaction, IFF has chosen to retain an approximately 10% minority equity interest in the business, or approximately $200 million, permitting continued collaboration and cooperation between IFF and Food Ingredients and allowing IFF and its shareholders to participate in future value creation under its new ownership. The transaction marks a significant step in IFF’s portfolio tr
BeOne Medicines Establishes Standard for Long-Term Disease Control in CLL with BRUKINSA 78-Month Data at ASCO 202629.5.2026 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
Data represents the longest reported follow-up for a next-generation BTK inhibitor in CLL, showing sustained disease control and benefit that extends beyond first-line therapyBRUKINSA plus next-generation BCL2 inhibitor sonrotoclax (ZS) delivered deep, durable, and rapid uMRD responses, raising the bar for potential time-limited treatments in CLLData reinforce BeOne’s leadership in CLL and the strength of its foundational hematology franchise BeOne Medicines Ltd. (Nasdaq: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, is advancing the treatment paradigm in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. With extensive long-term follow-up, the SEQUOIA study of BRUKINSA® (zanubrutinib) reinforces its role as the foundational BTK inhibitor, showing sustained disease control over years of therapy. These findings are further supported by real-world evidence across three large analyses encompassing more than 250,000 pati
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom