Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Saudi Arabia)
 | |
 Abdullah Alswaha, the current agency minister since 2017 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1926 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Saudi Arabia |
| Headquarters | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Website | Official 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Brief History. "Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". www.mcit.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Al-awsat, Asharq. "Newly Appointed Princes, Ministers Swear In Before the King". eng-archive.aawsat.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ "MCIT Tasks". www.mcit.gov.sa. 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ "National Digitization Unit : Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". www.mcit.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ "Yesser e-government program Overview". www.yesser.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ "The National Center For Digital Certification (NCDC) :Ministry of Communications and Information Technology". www.mcit.gov.sa. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
- ^ "NCDC Services". www.mcit.gov.sa. 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
