The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC; ar, هيئة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات, Hai'at al-Ittisalat wa Tiqniyyat al-Ma`lumat) is the Saudi communications authority. It was first established under the name of Saudi Communications Commission in accordance with the decision of the
Council of Ministers
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or ...
. The name was changed after the commission was assigned new tasks related to
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology syste ...
. Since October 2006, CITC has been handling the DNS structure and filtering in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
in the place of
KACST (King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology).
Censorship
The Communications and Information Technology Commission is responsible for regulating the Internet and for hosting a firewall which blocks access to thousands of websites, mainly due to sexual and political content. Access to
Megaupload has been intermittently blocked by the Internet authorities in Saudi Arabia.
ICT sector
CITC] is responsible for regulating the ICT sector in Saudi Arabia. The
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
s Act, issued by Royal Decree in 2001, provide the legal framework for organizing this sector. This Act involves a number of objectives such as: Providing advanced and adequate telecommunication services with affordable prices, creating an appropriate atmosphere to encourage fair competition, using frequencies effectively, localization of telecommunication technology and managing recent advancements, clarity and transparency in procedures, equality and neutrality, protection of the public interest as well as the interest of users and investors.
Postal services
Since the end of 2019, CITC became responsible for regulating the postal sector in Saudi Arabia. This involved studying the current market, improving regulatory environment and supporting service providers to enhance the quality of their services.
New technology
In alignment with the
Saudi Vision 2030
Saudi Vision 2030 ( ar, رؤية السعودية ٢٠٣٠ ''ruʾyah al-suʿūdiyah'') is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, in ...
and the National transformation program 2020, CITC is keen on facilitating the growth and localization of the IT & Tech sector in Kingdom. By 2023, CITC aims to increase the IT and emerging Tech market size, by regulating and licensing these technologies, and driving global investment.
Services
*Complaints
*Report
*Argami
*Coverage maps
*Spectrum
*Radio Type Approval
[https://ib-lenhardt.com/type-approval/saudi-arabia]
*Domain Name Registration
*Equipment licensing
*Meqyas
*Boniah
Board Membership
*
Ahmed Alsuwaiyan
Ahmed Mohammed Alsuwaiyan (Arabic: أحمد بن محمد الصويان) was appointed governor and board member of the Digital Government Authority (DGA) in May 2021. He is also a board member of the National Center for Government Resources S ...
(March 2017 – May 2021).
References
External links
Communications and Information Technology CommissionRadio Type Approval Services for Saudi-Arabia CST/CITC
{{Portal, Saudi Arabia
Communications authorities
Telecommunications in Saudi Arabia
Government agencies of Saudi Arabia
Censorship in Saudi Arabia
Regulation in Saudi Arabia