Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Saudi Arabia)

Ministry of Communication and Information Technology

Abdullah Alswaha, the current agency minister since 2017
Agency overview
Formed1926
JurisdictionGovernment of Saudi Arabia
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Minister responsible
  • Abdullah Alswaha
WebsiteOfficial English Website

The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCIT; Arabic: وزارة الاتصالات وتقنية المعلومات) is a Saudi government ministry that was established in 1926 and is responsible for the communications and information technology sector in the kingdom.[1][2] The current minister of Communications and Information is Abdullah Alswaha appointed on 23 April 2017.[3]

History

The earliest governmental entity to govern the communications and technology sectors was the Directorate of Post, Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) which was established in Makkah in 1926.[2] in 1931, the telegraph services were provided by the first mobile wireless station imported by the Kingdom, followed by the introduction of telephone service In 1934.[1] In 1953, the telegraph, post, and telephone facilities were reported Ministry of Transport which was established in that year.[1]

The rapid growth of telecommunications technology led to the establishment of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone in 1975 to be responsible for the telecommunications and posts sectors.[1] In 2003, the name of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone was amended to be the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.[1]

Responsibilities

The Ministry is mainly responsible for the communications and information technology in the Kingdom where many tasks have been assigned to, including:[4]

  • The supervision over the communications and information technology sector and related activities.
  • The development of policies that govern the communications and information technology sector.
  • Designing plans for the communications and information technology sector.

National programs

The Ministry launched and supervised three national programs:

National Digitization Unit: aims at ensuring the development of platforms for a digital society, digital economy and digital homeland.[5]

Yesser: An E-Government Program aims at increasing the productivity and efficiency of the governmental sector by providing the required services and information.[6]

The National Center for Digital Certification (NCDC): This program provides systems for the infrastructure management of the public keys which an essential security technique for e-business, e-trade, and e-government over the internet.[7] this program is currently providing services such as issuing digital certificates, search for digital certificates, checking certificates and validity.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Brief History. "Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". www.mcit.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  2. ^ a b "From telegrams to digital services: IT has traveled a long way in Saudi Arabia". Arab News. 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  3. ^ Al-awsat, Asharq. "Newly Appointed Princes, Ministers Swear In Before the King". eng-archive.aawsat.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  4. ^ "MCIT Tasks". www.mcit.gov.sa. 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  5. ^ "National Digitization Unit : Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". www.mcit.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  6. ^ "Yesser e-government program Overview". www.yesser.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  7. ^ "The National Center For Digital Certification (NCDC) :Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". www.mcit.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  8. ^ "NCDC Services". www.mcit.gov.sa. 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2019-03-17.