Riyadh to host first Saudi IoT exhibition & conference

Abdullah Al-Sawaha, minister of communications and information technology.

The first Saudi International Exhibition and Conference for Internet of Things will take place in Riyadh from Jan. 28-30.
Experts in the fields of technology, communications, gas and petrochemicals, and services designed to propel the digital transformation of cities, communities, people, data and objects, will participate in the event.
New Horizon are the organizers of the event, which will take place at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Abdullah Al-Sawaha, minister of communications and information technology, said: “The first Saudi International Exhibition and Conference for Internet of Things represents a major step in supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which has allocated a great deal of support to the IT sector, and affirmed its support for creative and innovative thinking to motivate young people to transform their ideas into actions and activities that contribute to the ongoing development efforts through Vision 2030.”
He added the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is seeking to transform the Kingdom into a platform for Internet applications in the region and to explore the best ways to achieve this by using international expertise and facilitating access to appropriate funding.
Al-Sawaha said Saudi Arabia offers great opportunities in the field of IoT because “the market is still growing and the Kingdom has many researchers, developers and experts in this area.”
“We in the ministry oversee one of the most important sectors ... which is the telecommunications sector, described as the nervous system of a smart city, and we are working to ensure that this sector is active and responsive to the requirements of mega projects in this area.”
“This exhibition and conference is a very important event for the future of the Internet in the Kingdom,” said Shuaib bin Abdullah Al-Abdulrahman, general manager of New Horizon.
The Internet of Things is a network of physical objects, devices, buildings, and others embedded with electronic devices connected to the Internet to collect and share data in real time. This network enables objects to be sensed and made sensitive so that they can be remotely controlled through a real time network infrastructure, thus creating opportunities for a more direct integration into the real world in computer systems. This eventually results in improved efficiency, accuracy, and economic benefits.