Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to accelerate the stages of development day by day to lead the technology sector. What is more remarkable is achieving this progression in a short amount of time, that gave Saudi Arabia the advantage to be at the top of successful countries in technology utilization.
All these achievements came from strategic focuses on three main factors
Achieving 2030 vision by enhancing the core of the infrastructure.
Managing life flow during Covid-19 pandemic by launching approximately 19 apps and platforms to provide health care services.
Bringing the world’s eyes to Saudia Arabia and become the global investment.
As a part of acknowledging the advancement of Saudi Arabian quality of living, In memorial of 91st Saudi National Day, we would like to highlight some of critical dates that sat up the history technology in Saudi Arabia. Telephone, Internet and Television are top three utilities that helped shaping Culture, Civilization and renaissance worldwide. specially in Saudi Arabia.
Telephone
Telecommunication has gone through several stages. After radio and telegram, radio invention was the gate into phones.
1934 the first phone call has been made in Saudi Arabia. Telephone devices were designed with Rotary Dialers and plugged with cables. There was a lack of movement while talking on the phone. However, wireless phone devices changed the game. Not only that they made it available to walk from room to another while calling, it also stepped closer to cellphone revolution. Despite the giant and heavy device in early days of its age, Wireless telephones leaped with humanity closer to cellphone revelation.
1995 Cellphone had been Brought up into Saudi for the first time. Also, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has been established as shareholding company. It was right after separating telegram, post and telephone facilities to from the ministry.
2001 Communications and Information Technology Commission were established.
2005 Mobily entered the market as a second cellphone server.
The Telephone has played a big role in developing technology. Not only in devises and utilities, it went side by side with the world wide web since its first appearance.
Check out our collection of smart phones with a variety of options and brands, like Apple, Samsung and Huawei and more.
Internet
1994 Internet has been brought to Saudi for the first time. Its usage was limited only for educational institutions and research facilities.
1999 Internet allowed for public use.
2006 Moving internet supervision from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to The Communications and Information Technology Commission.
About 29 million users reached out for the internet in Saudi Arabia according to 2019 statistics. It means that about 95.7% of Saudi Citizens are internet users. This number is expected to reach 36 million users by the year 2025.
Saudi Arabia lays on top of country list of top quality in providing internet. According to Speedtest records for August 2021, Saudi Arabia took the 6th place globally. With average speed equals 149.95 MB/ sec.
This increase of internet revolution in Saudi Arabia is not only building an infrastructure to bring up society into modernization, it helps reaching the coast of 2030 vision. Saudi Arabia is holding few giant projects that utilizes technology for improvement. For instance, Qiddiya project, Red Sea Project, Waad Al Shamal City, King Salman Energy Park and Neom are all projects that show how Saudi Arabia sets an example of how technology can meet up with heritage. In fact, Saudi Arabia is taking the advantage of its strategic location to be the core of technology services and cloud computing.
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Television
It was a small box. Lightened up in a series of pictures, forming out moving objects in black and white. Families and friends were gathered to watch a favorite show or a scheduled program. For a long time, television has controlled societies’ main interests and chatting subjects.
Let’s go back a little bit in time, Saudi Arabia casted its channel for the first time in 1956. Screening only black and white colors. Starting with 2 stations in Riyadh and Jeddah. Their range covered 80 – 100 km. That range has got widened by initialing more stations in other cities like Medina, Al Qassim, Dammam and Abha.
Television technology was very elementary in comparison to now. Screen showed sequenced fast-moving slides or pictures that forms sort of movements. Programs were recorded and prepared in advance. Channels started casting early in the morning and stopped by sunset. All of that had improved now and changed into whole another scenario.
Saudi Arabia has passed to critical moments in 3 sequenced years in this regard:
1974 for the first time, Saudi Arabia covered pilgrimage rituals and brought views of the holy custodian to 700 million Muslim.
1975 Saudi Arabia was able to cast events immediately after they occur. This was revolutionary because all materials that were shown before were recorded and took long time to be processed and edited before they casted to the audiences.
1976 first colored television in Saudi Arabia. It was on Saudi National day which is September 24th . Jeddah and Makkah were the first cities that casted colored screens followed by more cities later on.
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We all know that there is a lot more than Telephone, Internet and television as modern technology that eases our life. More importantly, it is a fact that those technologies are the tools to reach 2030 vision. In order to be a vibrant society, Thriving economy and ambitious nation. May Allah bless the land, people, and the leads.
