The ranking comes following the Kingdom’s success in building a sustainable regulatory framework and shifting toward digital collaborative regulation to empower the digital economy, according to a report by the ITU, a specialized agency responsible for all matters related to information and communication technologies.

Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, governor of the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission, said that the Kingdom’s new global achievement came as a result of the unlimited support given to the sector by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Al-Tamimi said Vision 2030 had laid the foundations for a strong and efficient telecommunications and information technology sector that led to the development of an ambitious strategy for digital transformation in line with global trends.

He noted that the CITC had launched several initiatives to develop the telecommunications and IT sector to the highest levels, including establishing the national academy for digital systems to provide an attractive and stimulating regulatory environment for various sectors, as a strategic step toward attracting investment and accelerating digital transformation.

Al-Tamimi added that the commission had enhanced the country’s competitiveness by focusing on collaborative regulating and including all international stakeholders in its enterprises.

He said the ITU report had highlighted several challenges facing regulating agencies, including primarily monitoring competence and sustainable growth.