Saudi Arabia Information and Communication Technology Market
A month ago I came back from a month long visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The purpose of my visit was to study the "booming" Information & Communication Technology market.
I have to say that my experience was a very positive one. I had a bsuy schedule. I held meetings with people in government, academia and private sector. I met with the commercial mission at the US embassy.
This was an exploratory trip and at the end there is what I took away:
There exists tremendous opportunity for IT professionals and IT firms to tap into this growing market. Given my background as an ISP operator in the Southeast of the USA, I could identify three immediate areas of interest:
1- The government finally decided that telecommunication de-regulation is a good thing and has issued a RFA (Request for Application) for a fixed line operator to compete with the incumbent Saudi Telecom (STC). Applications are due by January 27th (Unless an extension is granted). Announcement of the winner(s) will follow shortly after.
2- The boom in telecommunication and the anticipated improvement that this will bring about in the area of Data lines certainly will create some interesting "new business" opportunities. I think there will be a need (and an opportunity) for Data center operators, Managed Service Providers, System Integrators, etc.
3- Also, the anticipated increase in Internet penetration will create a huge need for "Web Content" that is relevant and localized.
The trip certainly piqued my interest in the region and I am hoping to continue studying the market and will report later.
