Saudi mobile charges among the highest worldwide

Saudi mobile call charges are among the highest in the world, at around 35 halalas a minute compared to the world average of seven halalas a minute, according to surveys conducted by the Saudi Consumer Protection Association (CPA).
In statement, the CPA said that these costs are for all communication services, including the Internet. The CPA said it conducted the surveys after the decision was taken to stop free international roaming calls for subscribers.
The CPA intends to publish a fair price for calls, after taking into account details such as the income of citizens, inflation and the real cost of the communication.
The statement urged local communication companies to restructure their fees to reflect real prices.
The association said that communication companies are responsible for the high cost of communications, and accused them of not responding to repeated calls to reduce prices.
"Most service providers offer preferential packages to their customers with reduced prices, such as family, student, business and other packages, which are customized to the needs of the targeted segment," the statement said.