Communications, Space, and Technology Commission

The Communications, Space, and Technology Commission is the entity responsible for regulating the sector of communications, space, and technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was established by a decision of the Council of Ministers in 2001 under the name the Saudi Communications Commission. In 2003, its name was changed to the Communications and Information Technology Commission upon assigning new tasks related to information technology. In 2022, its name was changed to the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission, and some regulatory tasks related to the space sector were transferred to the commission from the Saudi Space Commission.

The commission enjoys a legal personality and financial and administrative autonomy. It is directly affiliated with the Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Headquartered in Riyadh, it has a board of directors responsible for overseeing its affairs and management.

The commission is responsible for regulating the sectors of communications, space, and technology. This is achieved through multiple tasks, most notably: issuing the necessary licenses in accordance with the regulations and their implementing regulations, verifying that the conditions listed under the granted licenses are met, and suggesting conditions related to comprehensive service and right of use. Tasks also include executing the approved programs, plans, and policies for the development of the communications sector, creating regulations and licenses, coordinating with the local and international space industry regulatory entities, building relationships with parties involved in the space industry, and providing national regulatory expertise and capacity to the sector.

The commission works on regulating the communications, space, and technology sectors. It seeks to protect users to ensure that excellent services are offered across all sectors, encourage competitiveness and investment, foster the sustainability of the communications, space, and technology ecosystem, contribute to the transformation of the Kingdom into a digital community, and achieve organizational excellence through internal capacity building and competence development for its staff.

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology chairs the Board of Directors of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, which includes representatives of four ministries: the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Ministry of Investment, in addition to a representative member of the Presidency of State Security, three representatives of the private sector, and the commission’s governor who is the vice-chairman of the board.

The board oversees the management of the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission’s affairs, according to the articles of association of the commission, which consists of nineteen articles, as it approves the internal, financial, administrative, and technical regulations of the commission. It also specifies the fees charged by the commission in return for the services it offers and approves granting licenses that fall under the commission's mandate.

The board of the Communications, Space, and Technology Commission approves the National Digitization Plan and oversees its implementation. It approves the commission's action plan and operating plans pursuant to the state's general plan framework. It approves the purchase and sale of real estate properties, the draft budget of the commission, the auditor's report, and the annual report. It also concludes agreements and contracts within the scope of its competence, forms the necessary committees for carrying out the tasks, and approves the salary scales for the commission's employees who are subject to the Labor Law.