RIYADH — Mobile and landline calls between telecom service providers will now be cheaper after the Board of Directors of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) approved a reduction in rates, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. Mobile calls between the service providers will cost 15 halalas instead of 25 halalas a minute while landline calls will cost 7 halalas instead of 10 halalas a minute. Saudi Arabia's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) market is the largest in the Middle East and represents 68% of the total sector in the Gulf. In 2002, Saudi Arabia opened its telecoms market to competition. In its latest report on the Saudi Arabian IT market, Business Monitor International (BMI) concluded that it would remain the biggest in the Gulf region over the medium term, with continued support from government policy and its clearly defined ICT policies, helped by the country's relative political stability.
