RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has increased the number of homes covered by fiber optics from 1.59 million in 2017 to 5.8 million by the end of last year, nearly a decade later, according to Abdullah Al-Hariri, advisor to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper.
He explained that the number of homes covered by mobile networks in rural areas rose from 128,000 to 755,000 during the same period, a growth rate exceeding six times, while the number of 5G towers increased from 5,400 to 21,000.
The fiber optic home connection initiative is a key pillar of the digital transformation within Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to enhance digital infrastructure, increase internet speeds, and support the digital economy.
Optical fibers, also known as fiber optics, are a type of cable made of pure glass, about the thickness of a human hair. They use light technology to transmit large amounts of data at very high speeds in the form of light pulses.
In contrast, older technologies like traditional copper wires transmit data via electrical pulses. Optical fibers are smaller, lighter, and have less signal loss than copper cables.
The Kingdom is working to enable telecommunications companies to utilize the National Water Co.’s infrastructure to connect 3.5 million new homes with optical fiber by 2030. This is expected to contribute up to SR5 billion ($1.33 billion) to the gross domestic product, according to official data from the Communications and Information Technology Commission.
The Communications, Space and Technology Commission had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Water Regulator in early 2023 to double the benefit of the National Water Co.’s infrastructure in extending fiber optics, to enable and accelerate its spread in Saudi Arabia. It seeks to exchange support and information between the two parties according to their respective jurisdictions, and to cooperate to deliver fiber optics to homes, through the sustainability of the infrastructure and reducing the costs of delivering networks, as well as reducing the effects resulting from digging and extension through the infrastructure.
