RIYADH — Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha said that Saudi Arabia has ranked seventh in the world in the quality and speed of Internet and the quality of the coverage of the fifth generation. Addressing the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference here on Thursday, the minister said that the Kingdom has succeeded, during pandemic, in responding to digital challenges, especially in the early days when the Cabinet decided to impose a total lockdown. Al-Swaha noted that the Kingdom has the largest information technology investments in the Middle East region through the partnership of Aramco and Google, saying: "Flexibility, the implementation and speed have returned today with the largest technical investments in the Middle East and North Africa region, with more than SR1 billion between Saudi Aramco and Google". According to Al-Swaha, the Kingdom pumped billions into digital investments before and during the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in widening the scope of Internet coverage, expanding the coverage of 4G and 5G networks to advanced levels, as well as in creating opportunities for companies and Saudi youth in various fields of digitization. "There might be many fluctuations, ambiguity and complexity in future, and hence the future would be for those who have resilience, flexibility and resistance. The current and future generation will not forgive us if we do not invest in digitization, as these investments have had a special importance in preserving the environment, in caring for human health, and in securing alternatives during the pandemic," he said while stressing the need for investment and innovation in the field of digitization. On "THE LINE" project in NEOM, the minister said that it would exceed 150 years of the Industrial Revolution as for individuals, stressing that this special model for renewable energy without emissions is 100 percent, in addition to innovations in the field of gas and oil through the use of data to improve the quality and reduce costs.
