​The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has awarded additional spectrum for mobile service providers in the Kingdom as preventive measures against the spread of the Corona virus are being implemented in the Kingdom and many countries around the world. The aim of this decision is to boost the performance of 4G and 5G networks in the Kingdom and ensure uninterrupted delivery of communication and information technology services to all users and enterprises across the Kingdom.

CITC revealed that mobile service providers have been temporarily licensed to use an additional 40 MHz in the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands, which represents a 50% increase in the spectrum holdings of Saudi service providers in those bands.

CITC said that the activation plan for these frequencies commenced on March 26th and noted that service providers networks showcased a considerable increase in quality of service and mobile internet speeds in the areas where these frequencies have been activated. CITC is predicting further performance gains as these frequencies are fully activated in service providers networks across the Kingdom over the next few days.

Last week, CITC revealed that since the implementation of the preventive measures against the spread of the Corona virus, the daily mobile and fixed Internet traffic have increased by 66,000 Terabytes, a 33% increase over February's daily average.

CITC also acknowledged the cooperation and crucial role played by mobile service providers in the Kingdom to maintain the quality and reliability of services provided to all users and enterprises in the Kingdom.