COUNTRY FOCUS : SAUDI ARABIA

51 % of GCC revenue across the sector , according to Oxford Business Group .

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is responsible for sector oversight and fostering an ecosystem that enables next-generation technologies to thrive . The strategy serves as a blueprint for digitalising the entire Saudi Arabia , and demands a sufficiently trained pool of skilled labour to staff the sector and develop infrastructure . Under the development strategy launched in 2018 , the government aims to increase female participation by 50 % and create over 25,000 ICT-related jobs by 2023 .

Since 2020 , Communications , Space and Technology Commission has facilitated the implementation of the Saudi Open Access agreement between the country ’ s major network providers : stc , Mobily , Zain Saudi Arabia , Salam , Dawiyat and GO Telecom . The agreement aims to maximise ICT infrastructure efficiency through tower and network-sharing initiatives .

The sheer size of the Saudi ICT economy and its future opportunities , and the requirement to transact out of a local head office and have led many major ICT and business leaders to set up shop in Saudi Arabia . In the first six months of the year a large number of players made such announcements .

Alstom has inaugurated its regional headquarters in Riyadh . Strategically located in the capital of Saudi Arabia , the new headquarters is designed to enhance Alstom ’ s operations throughout the Gulf and beyond . This includes fostering growth and development , improving the oversight of key projects and optimising railway maintenance .

Middle East and North Africa region , and is wellpositioned to become a technology service and cloud hub .

Key stakeholder in the Saudi Arabian ICT sector include Ministry of Communications and Information Technology ; Communications , Space , and Technology Commission ; Saudi Data and AI Authority ; National Centre for Artificial Intelligence ; National Data Management Office ; National Information Centre ; and National Cybersecurity Authority .

Saudi Arabia ’ s ICT sector has already achieved notable success . The scale of Saudi Arabia ’ s ambition is drawing global attention . 2022 was the first year that the size of the IT segment exceeded that of the telecom segment . In 2022 Saudi-listed ICT firms accounted for

The Riyadh office welcomes the establishment of the Services Digital Centre , a core part of Alstom ’ s strategy to advance condition-based and predictive maintenance for railway assets . HealthHub , Alstom ’ s web-based platform solution for predictive maintenance , optimizes maintenance operations , reduces downtime , and ensures high availability and reliability of railway services , supporting fleets globally .

IFS announced the inauguration of its regional headquarters in Riyadh . The strategic move reiterates IFS ’ commitment to strengthen its position in the region and accelerate Saudi Arabia ’ s ongoing digital transformation journey . The regional headquarter establishment reaffirms IFS ’ focus on optimising local resources and driving sustainable industrial innovations in Saudi Arabia through its latest digital solutions .

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