RIYADH: The governor of Saudi Arabia’s digital regulator, the Communications and Information Technology Commission, has congratulated King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the conclusion of another successful Hajj season.
Speaking on behalf of all CITC employees, Mohammed Al-Tamimi also extended his congratulations to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology and CITC Chairman, Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, saying that his efforts were key to ensuring this year’s pilgrims had the best internet and connectivity support and services available.
“There is no way we could have achieved such a feat of communications without the robust cooperation of various levels of government and the private sector,” Al-Tamimi said.
“Hundreds of the Kingdom’s most dedicated individuals and experts spent months ensuring this would go off smoothly, and our high expectations have not been disappointed.”
CITC has ensured the smooth functioning of more than 5,900 towers and more than 11,000 Wi-Fi access points in the two holy cities. It also oversaw a 41 percent increase in the number of 5G towers, with the number rising to more than 2,600.
With a large number of pilgrims taking part for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, total voice calls reached more than 159 million for local and international connections, with a total success rate exceeding 99 percent, CITC said.
During the Hajj season, pilgrims consumed 36,000 terrabytes via telecom networks in Makkah, the equivalent of streaming 14.83 million hours of 1080p HD video clips. The average daily consumption was 851.13 megabytes per user, more than three times the world’s average of around 200 megabytes per user.
CITC said that mobile internet download speeds reached 251.06 megabits per second, which is 44 percent higher than last year, while upload speeds reached 32.9 Mbit/s, 27 percent higher than last year in Makkah and the holy sites.
“It’s not merely the scores of dedicated IT professionals and government ministers that made this huge increase in communications possible,” said the CITC chief. “It’s the pilgrims themselves. I want to congratulate them, too, for making this historic journey. May they return safely to their loved ones after taking part in this life-changing event.”